Palm oil goes digital to curtail the menace of Sudan IV

The Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and out-growers Association are introducing digital technology into the palm oil industry to curtail the menace of SUDAN IV. This is to ensure authentic and healthy Palm oil for the global market.

The association has developed an app for both the app store and the play store which would be launched on Wednesday 28th July 2021 at the MENSVIC Grand Hotel at 10 am to enable consumers to track the source of the palm oil and the producers before purchasing for consumption.

Palm oil is one of the most useful and nutritious cooking oils in Ghana. Sudan IV dye is used as a hue of enhancer in palm oil despite the ban as food pigment due to its carcinogenicity and mutagenicity by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). As a food dye, Sudan IV is considered an illegal dye, mainly because of its harmful effect over a long period of time.

Paul Amaning, the President of the Association, said the app called the Artisanal Palm Oil would perform two functions. According to him, the app first of all would allow customers to order palm oil from the comfort of their homes and have it delivered to them.

Secondly, the function of the app is to help customers verify the source of the palm oil with the aid of a QR code to guard customers against consuming any palm oil containing Sudan IV.

The palm oil industry should adopt the technological approach to succor to make sure all producers produce pure and hygienic palm oil to help Ghana meet the world market specification. The industry is currently dominated by small-scale producers who are responsible for the production of about sixty (60) percent of the total palm oil production in the country, which is close to about a hundred and twenty thousand metric tons a year.

Some of the dignitaries to grace the occasion are Prof Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, Chair of the program, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekufful, Minister For Communication, as special guest, other invited guests are Alhaji Hanan Abdul-Wahab, CEO for NAFCO, Mrs. Kosi Yankey- Ayeh, GEA, Mr. Frank Asiedu Bekoe, Director of Political Affairs at the office of the chief of staff, Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko, CEO of FDA amongst others.