A nationwide assessment by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), supported by UNICEF, has uncovered alarming levels of heavy metal contamination in food and cosmetic products sold across Ghana.
The National Summary Report, which tested for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) in samples from all 16 regions, revealed that several commonly consumed or widely used products contain unsafe levels of toxic metals.
Items tested included turmeric, cereal mixes (Tom Brown), bentonite clay (“Ayilor”), kohl (“Kaji Kaji”), and selected skin-lightening creams and lotions.
Kohl products recorded the highest contamination rate, with 77.79 percent of samples testing positive for lead. In the Upper East and Eastern regions, every sample collected was found to contain lead. Turmeric followed, with 42.09 percent contamination, most notably in Greater Accra and Central regions.
Cereal mixes showed 29 percent cadmium contamination, especially in the Northeast, Western North, and Oti regions. Bentonite clay, meanwhile, recorded 24.62 percent lead contamination, with the highest levels traced to the Northeast and Greater Accra regions.
The report highlighted that unbranded products, particularly those sold in open markets and smaller retail shops, were the main sources of contamination.
However, it also noted some progress: certain skin-lightening creams and lotions were found to be fully compliant in specific regions, with no traces of mercury detected.
Deputy Chief Executive of the FDA’s Food Division, Roderick Kwabena Dadie Agyei, said the findings underscore the urgent need for tighter market oversight.
He announced that nationwide recalls had already been initiated for contaminated turmeric products, alongside enhanced port surveillance and stricter import inspections.
“The FDA believes issues of traceability must be taken seriously. We must know if these foodstuffs are coming from galamsey areas so that we can stop the supply.
The heavy metals are causing birth defects and serious health challenges. We need to stop galamsey and change our agricultural practices,” Mr. Agyei stressed.
Health experts warn that the consequences of exposure, even at minimal levels, are severe.
UNICEF Ghana Health Specialist, Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Kyerematen Amoah, cautioned that lead can damage children’s developing organs, reduce IQ, and trigger kidney and heart complications.
“This report is not the end; it is a call to decisive action,” he said. “We owe it to our children, our families, and the generations yet unborn to make this country safe from the devastating effects of lead.”
The FDA and UNICEF are urging stronger regulatory enforcement, stricter product standards, and collective national action to curb heavy metal contamination, protect public health, and secure safer consumer markets for all Ghanaians.
