What started as a routine national clean-up exercise in Kasoa has opened a wider conversation about food safety, consumer protection and the economic risks associated with unsafe products entering Ghana’s marketplace. During the exercise, Awutu Senya East Member of Parliament Hon. Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor reportedly raised concerns over a box of chocolates found at the scene after a woman identified as the owner indicated that the products were intended for sale.
According to accounts of the incident, the chocolates appeared to have been exposed to poor storage conditions, with concerns raised about water penetration into the packaging and signs of pest infestation. The Member of Parliament questioned the safety of the products and insisted that they should not be sold to consumers. She subsequently called on the task force at the scene to remove the items and dispose of them in a refuse bin to prevent any possibility of unsafe products reaching the public.
Food safety is often viewed as a public health concern, but economists and health experts increasingly argue that it is also an economic issue. Every unsafe product that reaches a consumer carries a financial cost. Families spend money on medical treatment, workers lose productive hours when illness keeps them away from work, businesses suffer reputational damage, and confidence in local markets declines. The cumulative effect is a burden that extends from households to the national economy.
The World Health Organisation estimates that contaminated food causes approximately 866 million illnesses and 1.52 million deaths globally every year. The organisation further estimates that unsafe food results in about US$310 billion in lost productivity and medical expenses annually. The burden is highest in low and middle-income countries, including many in Africa, where food safety systems often face challenges related to enforcement, infrastructure and public awareness.
As WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently stated, “Food safety is not an abstract issue. It touches every meal, every family, every day.” He added that the latest global estimates reveal “the staggering human and economic toll” of unsafe food and provide governments with evidence to prioritise interventions that protect public health.
Ghana has made considerable progress in strengthening its food regulatory framework through the Food and Drugs Authority, which is mandated to regulate the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, use and advertisement of food, medicines and other regulated products. The Authority has over the years conducted market surveillance exercises, seized expired and counterfeit products, and repeatedly urged consumers to check expiry dates, inspect packaging and report suspicious products. However, isolated incidents involving expired or poorly stored products continue to surface, suggesting that enforcement alone cannot eliminate the problem.
Several factors contribute to the circulation of unsafe food. Economic hardship may tempt some traders to recover losses by holding onto products beyond their shelf life rather than disposing of them. Poor storage conditions, inadequate waste disposal practices, unreliable electricity that affects refrigeration, weak supply chain monitoring and insufficient consumer awareness also increase the risk that deteriorated food remains in circulation. In busy informal markets where thousands of transactions occur daily, it is difficult for regulators to inspect every product without cooperation from traders and consumers alike.
The economic implications are significant. Consumer confidence is one of the most valuable assets in any market economy. When buyers begin to question whether products on shop shelves or market tables are safe, they become more cautious, spending slows and legitimate businesses that comply with regulations also suffer. Retailers who invest in proper storage facilities, observe expiry dates and meet regulatory standards may find themselves competing with operators who cut corners to reduce costs.
Unsafe food also places additional pressure on Ghana’s healthcare system. Cases of foodborne illness require treatment, consume hospital resources and reduce labour productivity when workers stay home to recover. Children, older persons and people with weakened immune systems face even greater health risks. According to the WHO, children under five bear a disproportionately high burden of foodborne diseases, making food safety a critical issue for national development and human capital.
The Kasoa incident, therefore, serves as more than a local occurrence. It is a reminder that food safety should not be addressed only after questionable products are discovered. Prevention is far less costly than responding to outbreaks of illness. Stronger routine inspections, improved traceability across supply chains, public education on recognising expired and damaged products, and closer collaboration between local assemblies, market associations and the Food and Drugs Authority can significantly reduce risks before they reach consumers.
Consumers also have an important role to play. Checking expiry dates, avoiding products with damaged packaging, reporting suspicious goods to the appropriate authorities and purchasing from reputable vendors are simple but effective ways of strengthening food safety from the ground up. Food safety is ultimately a shared responsibility among regulators, businesses and the public.
The discovery of potentially unsafe chocolates during a community clean-up exercise may have lasted only a few minutes, but the questions it raises deserve sustained national attention. Ghana’s ambition to build a resilient economy depends not only on increasing production and expanding trade but also on ensuring that the goods reaching consumers are safe. Protecting the integrity of the food supply protects public health, strengthens confidence in local businesses and safeguards the productivity on which economic growth ultimately depends. In that sense, every unsafe product removed from circulation is more than a public health intervention. It is an investment in the country’s economic future.
