FDA to sue adulterated palm oil producers   

The Food and Drug Authority (FDA) is threatening to prosecute palm oil producers found to have adulterated their products with Sudan IV dye.

This is part authority's resolve to rid the markets of all adulterated palm oil.

In August 2015, the authority warned the public against the consumption of palm oil on the market after  98 percent of palm oil samples from markets  tested positive for the deadly Sudan IV dye.

The FDA has since carried out intensive surveillance in all major markets nationwide to clamp down on adulterated product and declared the product safe for consumption.

Communications Director for the FDA, James Lartey told Citi news that “we picked up samples from the various markets and tested them. The investigations that we conducted indicate that palm oil on the market is now safe for consumption” he explains “we are aware that people may decide to go back and bring these adulterated ones so we will continue to do our monitoring by involving the market women and the producers to ensure that those adulterated ones do not come back unto the market.”

The FDA also arrested persons who were found dealing in adulterated products.

Mr Lartey says so far two people are currently under investigations and will be processed for court soon.

“If we come and we pick samples and take samples and go to the lab and find out that these ones contain Sudan IV, the persons are dealt with. As we went round, the people were arrested, some were cautioned” he said “currently, as we speak we are gathering more information of these people and we will be taking them to court soon. This is something we did nationwide throughout the year so currently I can say that we virtually don't have any adulterated palm oil on the market as per our investigations,” Mr Lartey concluded.

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By: Farida Shaibu/citifmonline.com/Ghana