The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has warned food businesses, traders and distributors not to accept, sell, offer for sale or distribute food products recovered from floodwaters, saying it cannot “vouch for the safety or quality” of such products after the June 29 floods in Accra and other affected communities.
In a public food safety alert issued on July 2, the regulator said it had become aware of “unidentified individuals” retrieving food products and other regulated items from floodwaters and “other sites,” with some also seen on social media, intending to distribute such products to “unsuspecting members of the public,” including students. The Authority stressed that it could not “vouch for the safety or quality” of the recovered products because they may have been contaminated by floodwaters and mishandling, posing “a serious risk to public health.”
The warning places additional responsibility on food retailers, wholesalers and distributors to ensure products entering the market remain safe and compliant with food safety regulations, particularly as businesses seek to recover from flood-related losses. The FDA strongly advised businesses not to “accept, consume, sell, offer for sale, or distribute” any food or regulated products recovered from floodwaters, noting that contaminated goods could expose consumers to serious health hazards while creating regulatory and reputational risks for traders.
According to the Authority, floodwaters often carry “sewage, chemicals, other waste, and harmful microorganisms” capable of contaminating food products, drinking water, food preparation surfaces and storage facilities. It warned that the recent floods have “increased the risk of food and water contamination,” creating conditions that could lead to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks of cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery.
The FDA also urged consumers to be “wary when purchasing food products” and encouraged the public to report any suspected sale or distribution of flood-damaged or unsafe food products to the Authority.
As part of its safety guidance, the regulator advised households and businesses to discard “any food that has come into contact with floodwater,” drink only safe water and boil water for “at least five (5) minutes” where its safety is uncertain. It also recommended washing hands thoroughly with soap and safe water before preparing food, before eating and after handling flood-contaminated materials, while ensuring food preparation surfaces, utensils, refrigerators and storage areas exposed to floodwater are “clean and disinfected.”
The Authority further advised food handlers to “keep raw and cooked foods separate” to prevent cross-contamination during food preparation and storage.
The FDA said it is working “closely with relevant agencies” to monitor the safety of food supplies in affected communities and would take the “necessary regulatory actions” to protect public health and safeguard the integrity of Ghana’s food supply chain.
