Expired rice saga: The technocrats must be investigated for alleged criminality – Kwadwo Poku

A member of the Bawumia campaign team, Kwadwo Poku has said that the technocrats within the state agencies such as the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) should be held liable for the expired rice issue brought up by North Tongu Lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that is if the issues are true.

He expresses the view that this matter is not a political issue because none of the people mentioned in the saga is a politician.

If the issues are anything to go by, he said, the technocrats within the state institutions should be investigated and charged for criminality.

“This is not a political issue, all the people mentioned in this at the FDA, Buffer stock, and lamens, are not politicians, they are technocrats.

“This is a matter of criminality if it is proven, if it is true then the CID should come and investigate, I don’t think we should look at this issue as political, Let us not make this an election-winning issue, no politician is involved,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, November 23.

Prior to his comment, Mr  Ablakwa has said that if the Akufo-Addo administration had a modicum of care, the president would have ordered health screening for all senior high school students following the alleged expired rice that was repackaged into different bags for the various senior high schools.

Mr Ablakwa revealed that doctors say the continued consumption of infested rice can cause liver cancer.

Also speaking on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, November 23, he said “If we had a president who cared, he would have ordered the screening of SHS students. Doctors say that eating rice-infested could cause liver cancer, that is what they tell me, and so if we had any leader who cared, or had empathy they would have ordered a mass screening of our children.”

Prior to making this comment, Mr Ablakwa had insisted that expired rice was repackaged for school feeding in the senior high schools.

He described the comments by the Chief of Staff Frema Osei Opare that his expose is propaganda as the height of recklessness.

He states that the best before date for Moshosho rice was 2023 but this rice was repackaged, per the information he has.

Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, November 23, he said “The Chief of Staff’s comment is the height of recklessness and irresponsibility, you are to coordinate and invite all the institutions yet you don’t look at the facts but you jump to this reckless conclusion.”

“Can’t we respect our laws, can’t we follow standards? ” He further quizzed.

It is recalled that Madam Osei Opare said that the allegation by Mr  Ablakwa that contaminated rice had been distributed to Senior High Schools across the country, was not true.

She described this as propaganda and rumour-mongering.

Asked for her comment on this matter, she told journalists on the sidelines of the National Education Book launch on Monday, November 18 that “You know it is not true, so let us focus on things that move this country forward, how you advance the Ghanaian child, how you improve their opportunities so they become good citizens. Propaganda and rumour-mongering have no place in education.”

Prior to her comments, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Kwasi Kwarteng insisted that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) certified the alleged expired rice before they were distributed to the various secondary schools.

According to him, it is therefore inaccurate for anyone to suggest that secondary school students have been fed with unwholesome rice.

Mr Kwarteng said this in reaction to a call by the NDC caucus in Parliament for a commission of inquiry into circumstances leading to the distribution of supposedly expired bags of rice to some secondary schools,

The opposition MPs, led by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, argue that the Ministry of Education cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial probe into the matter.

“We would like to use this medium to wake up respectfully all those institutions particularly the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health who have been silent on this matter so far. There is the need for an urgent national medical screening exercise, and we would endorse that,” Ablakwa stated.

However, Mr Kwarteng said no wrongdoing has been done on the part of Lamens Ventures, the company responsible for distributing the rice. He admitted though that FDA sanctioned Lamen’s Ventures for re-bagging the rice without approval.

?”To address concerns from schools regarding the rice’s perceived expiry date, Lamens Ventures submitted a formal request to the FDA, dated 9th February 2024, seeking approval to re-bag the remaining stock to reflect the updated shelf life. They did not have approval to re-bag, that is why the FDA slapped a fine on them,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Lamens Investments Africa Limited has been fined GH¢100,000.00 by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for the violation of regulatory requirements in the handling of Moshosho Rice imported from India.

The FDA says the fine comes as a result of the company’s re-bagging of about 22,000 bags of 50kg rice, which were imported from India but labelled as “Made in Ghana.”

In a statement issued by the FDA after its investigations, it said the company re-bagged the rice without approval from the Authority, a critical step required to ensure product integrity and compliance with safety standards.

The statement said the re-bagging operations were carried out in an unlicensed facility, and the company failed to ensure FDA supervision during the process.

“The FDA imposed an administrative fine of GH¢100,000 on Lamens Investments Africa Limited for the following regulatory breaches: Re-bagging the rice without prior FDA approval, Conducting re-bagging operations in an unlicensed facility, and Failing to ensure FDA supervision during the re-bagging process,” portions of the statement read.

But the FDA stated that the amount fined the company has nothing to do with the quality of the rice since it passed through rigorous laboratory analyses, but rather the packaging which was done without the authority’s approval.

According to the FDA, the tests were carried by credible institutions in both Ghana and India, including the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which confirmed that the rice met safety standards.

But the FDA says the importer’s handling of the product was against the standard procedure of the Authority which compromises public health.

In a separate development, the FDA recently approved an extension of the rice’s Best Before date from December 20, 2023, to April 30, 2024, after thorough scientific evaluation.

However, the Authority declined a request to extend the date further to December 2024, citing insufficient stability data to justify the extension.

The FDA also addressed public concerns about its acceptance of part payments for administrative fines.

It explained further that this practice allows regulatory actions to proceed without delay, ensuring that companies remain accountable while adhering to their financial commitments.

Reaffirming its mission to safeguard public health, the FDA emphasised that such enforcement actions are essential to maintaining trust in the food supply chain.

“We will continue to uphold the highest standards, taking decisive actions to protect public health and safety,” the FDA said.

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