FDA fears public uproar if it clamps down on illegal alcohol sale

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says it won’t clamp down on unregulated alcohol distribution in Ghana, which is believed to be on a massive scale.

Ag. Deputy CEO Isabella Mansa Agra explained on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Tuesday that any aggressive move could “easily” spark public “uproar”.

The regulation of the alcoholic beverage industry is proving an overwhelming task for the Authority, she admitted.

Even more daunting is an informal sector where alcoholic sale points popularly known as ‘blue kiosk’ dot every street corner in communities, many of which are unlicensed.

“Nothing is stopping us from clamping down on everybody and everything,” the Deputy CEO said. But the FDA's approach is to shun using the stick and adopt a carrot approach.

“The general approach is to be more friendly,” Agra stressed, explaining that FDA talks to producers and sellers to submit to the laws of the country governing alcohol distribution.

If the Authority is to descend on the production, distribution and marketing of alcoholic beverages, “there will be thousands and thousands of people to arrest” she said.

According to her, the courts and agencies for prosecution are still not well developed to accommodate a massive crackdown on the menace.

Currently, the FDA is talking to the Judicial Council to have a special court to tackle offending players in the alcohol industry, the Deputy CEO revealed.

Continuing the defense of the Authority's struggling, subdued and limited response, Isabella also pointed out they do not have the funds to fight the forces behind the illegal alcohol distribution industry.

The funds of the FDA are “nowhere near enough” she said. The monies raised through its regulation activities are forwarded to the consolidated funds. While it would wish to keep that money, the Deputy CEO says even that will still be inadequate.

“We need a lot of money,” she revealed. Isabella Agra indicated that despite these challenges, the FDA is determined to rid the country of unlicensed agents in the alcohol industry.

The FDA gets lots of tip-offs from several informants, she said.

“We do what we can” Isabella Mansa Agra conceded in the face of a low budget and understaffing.

In a word of advice, Isabella said scientific findings have dismissed the need for people to drink alcohol. “Consumption in any form still affects the body, however low”, the administrator explained the scientific aspect of it.

Alcohol is the further breakdown of carbohydrates found in food, she described. Anytime the body needs it, it internally breaks down carbohydrates into alcohol for absorption into the blood stream.

In other words, if the body needs alcohol, it knows where to find it without any help from blue kiosks.

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