By Edward Williams
Hohoe (V/R), March 1, GNA – Mr Emmanuel Yawlui, Hohoe Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Officer, has cautioned the public to always check the expiry dates of products they purchased or sold.
He said consumers and sellers of products had their health at stake by consuming and selling expired products.
Mr Yawlui speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit destroyed some expired products seized from some vendors disclosed that the Unit would continue its routine checks to clear-off shops of expired products.
He said it was observed that some traders or sellers kept provisions and consumables in their shops for a long time, adding that most of them became unaware of their expiry dates.
Mr Yawlui said the consuming public was also not aware that foods they bought from the shops expired.
He said the Unit, at every quarter of the year, visited shops, markets and stores to conduct thorough inspections with the collaboration of the owners.
Mr Yawlui said the inspections were usually carried out before and after festive seasons.
He said the Unit also educated sellers to make sure that anytime they brought new stock, the old ones were removed but most of them did not comply.
Mr Yawlui said most shopkeepers and traders did not take their time to check expiry dates of products from suppliers.
He noted that the constant education being carried out showed that the volumes of expired products seized had always been small.
Some of the expired food products include cornflakes, biscuits, detergents, bottled and canned drinks, sachets of margarine and iodated salts.
GNA