FDA uncovers expired food items at Zuarungu SHS

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The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has confiscated some expired food items from the Zuarungu Senior High School in the Upper East region.

The FDA during an unannounced visit discovered expired food items in the storerooms of the school.

The inspection revealed several expired products, including Free SHS mackerel, royal gold hard wheat flour, pavani evaporated filled milk, paka tomato paste, and queen [pilchards] in tomato sauce. 

The Authority’s Upper East Regional Director, Sebastian Mawuli Hotor, in an interview with Citi News, emphasized the importance of ensuring that food supplies in educational facilities meet FDA safety standards.

He warned that, non-compliance could lead to penalties.

Mr. Hotor also stated that, such inspections will be repeated periodically to enforce food safety guidelines across all food establishments, including school kitchens.

“We went to Zuarungu SHS for one of the school kitchen inspections that we do. In one of their storerooms, we found about five different brands of products which were bad and then I think one out of them was unregistered as well. We got some from neighboring schools as well as from Buffer stock.

“From the document we requested for, we were given and then the products were the Free SHS mackerel, the royal gold hard wheat flour, pavani evaporated filled milk, paka tomato paste, and queen [pilchards] in tomato sauce.”

“These were the products that we found that were expired. These were products that were supplied to the school for feeding the children. As part of our mandate, we confiscated them and taken them for safe disposal and it is something we will repeat from time to time just to ensure that food safety guidelines are adhered to in all food establishments including food kitchens,” he stated.

The school is however yet to respond to the issue.

The products were confiscated and disposed of safely by the FDA as part of their mandate.

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