The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued a safety alert for consumers of tilapia and smoked fish.

“If you are fond of tilapia but you are not so sure of the source you buy it from, the best thing to do is avoid buying it,” the Public Relations Officer for the FDA, James Lartey, stated Monday.

This alert comes after about 18,000 tonnes of tilapia was destroyed at Fujian Farm, a Chinese-owned company in the Greater Accra Region.

The Ghana Aquaculture Association urged the public to calm down after it emerged that the tilapia that died en masse at the farm had been destroyed.

President of the Association, Jennifer Sodji, said part of the farm has since been shut down pending further investigations.

Mr. James Lartey stated that there is an investigative team deployed to find out the cause of death of the tilapia at Asutsuare.

Speaking on the Super Morning Show on Joy Fm, Mr. Lartey said it was his top priority to ensure the safety of Ghanaians. He advised not to purchase tilapia without knowing its source. The suggestion comes on the heels of allegations that some of the dead fish could have made it on the market.

Mr. Lartey said, “though it has not been confirmed yet, it is possible that some of the dead fishes have gone into the market because of the social media circulation.”

He said investigations are being carried out to determine the cause of death of the fishes and cautioned Ghanaians to be careful in the consumption of tilapia.

“The investigations will lead the team to a certain path for a decision to be taken to protect the citizens, however, it is difficult to tell the difference between the affected fish and the non-affected fish so people should be careful,” he said.

The PRO added that the FDA is not banning the consumption of tilapia or smoked fish but if consumers trust the source of the fish, they can go ahead and buy.

“Officers from FDA that oversaw the process confirmed that the fishes have been buried,” he told the show’s host, Daniel Dadzie.

“The investigation team has picked samples of the fish and water to test and find the cause of death of the fishes,” he stated.

He urged the public to wait for the results of investigations and action to be taken by the authorities involved.