The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has cautioned consumers to exercise extreme caution when purchasing palm oil due to ongoing concerns about adulteration.
This warning comes in light of the FDA’s continued efforts to combat the presence of hazardous substances, specifically the notorious ‘Sudan Four’ dye, which has been detected in some palm oil products circulating on the market.
The presence of this industrial dye, which is banned for use in food products due to its carcinogenic properties, poses a serious health risk to consumers.
Roderick Daddey-Adjei, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, expressed deep concern over the persistence of this issue, despite the Authority’s rigorous enforcement actions.
He acknowledged the progress made in reducing the prevalence of adulterated palm oil but emphasised that even a small percentage of contamination remains unacceptable.
“But we are still not happy about that small percentage that is there, which means that people who perpetrated the activity are still lurking in the dark. And we also want to also let those who think that they can come back and keep on doing this, that their days are numbered. Because already with this one that we even did, we did some arrests, we have handed them over to the police.”