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The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the Volta Region has seized a large quantity of unregistered diapers at Ho Market as part of efforts to safeguard public health, particularly that of children.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, forms part of an ongoing crackdown on unregistered and potentially harmful products in markets across the Volta and Oti Regions and the country at large.
Volta Regional Head of the FDA, Mr. Gordon Akurugu, told the Ghana News Agency that the diapers lacked proper registration and labelling, raising concerns about their safety and quality. He described their sale as a serious public health threat that would not be tolerated.
He explained that the products, popularly referred to as “fosse diapers,” could not be guaranteed safe and have been detained pending investigations with the police to trace their source.
Mr. Akurugu noted that as a border region, Volta is vulnerable to smuggled goods entering from neighbouring countries.
“This is not just a one-day exercise. It’s an exercise that has to continue,” he said, adding that the products could be store rejects or donated items being resold without a known origin.
He urged mothers and the general public to purchase only registered diapers bearing visible labels and FDA registration numbers, stressing that “the life of a child is important to Ghana.”
Citing the Public Health Act 851, he stated that all imported products must be registered and regulated by the FDA to ensure their safety. He warned that unregistered products on the market are illegal and offenders would face the full rigours of the law.
Some affected traders, however, expressed frustration over the exercise. Ms. Bintu Yakubu said officials posed as buyers before seizing the products and admitted she was unable to distinguish between registered and unregistered diapers.
Ms. Linda Ofosuhene questioned how unregistered goods were allowed into the country if they were illegal, while another trader, Gloria, said the unlabeled diapers were more popular with customers and that the seizure would result in financial losses.
