FDA fines Shoprite for deceiving customers
The action by the FDA was necessitated by a complaint it received to this effect.
The Food and Drugs Authority(FDA) on Tuesday, June 16 closed the meat section of the Accra Mall branch of Shoprite and subsequently issued a fine for labeling imported frozen chicken as locally produced and sold to its customers.
The action by the FDA was necessitated by a complaint it received to this effect.
The FDA further investigated the complaint and confirmed what they deemed to be fraud on the part of Shoprite.
According to the FDA, the practice by the meat section of Shoprite is deception and also had health effects.
“Apart from it being deception, it also has some health implications, because we all know that you don’t actually thaw a frozen product and then put it back into the freezer for it to freeze,” Akua Amartey, Deputy Chief Executive of the FDA said.
She further indicated that since the products had been thawed at certain temperatures, micro-organisms are likely to brew in them, producing toxins.
The Deputy Chief Executive added that consumers are likely to have health challenges despite boiling the chicken because the toxins that have already been produced will still be in the meat.
