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Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority said on Thursday it had begun investigations into reports that a Ghanaian palm oil product exported to the United Kingdom contained Sudan IV Dye, a cancer-causing agent.
This follows an alert by the Tower Hamlets Council of the UK that the palm oil, under the brand name Fovitor Dzomi, is dangerous and must not be consumed by its citizens.
The regulatory body said its investigations further revealed that MIVA Lifeline Limited, producer and supplier of the product, had never applied to the FDA for an export permit for Fovitor Dzomi Palm Oil .
It has also never been issued with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) by the FDA on Sudan Dye status for the product as required by the European Council (EC).
"Our records, however, indicate that the only time MIVA Lifeline Limited has been issued with a permit and a CoA on Sudan Dye Status was in 2010 and it was for MIVA Lifeline Pure Dzomi," it said.
The FDA indicated that any export of a consignment of palm oil without a permit and a CoA indicating the Sudan Dye status issued only by the FDA and no other state institution was a violation of the National Export Protocol for palm oil agreed between Ghana and the EU dating back to 2006.
The agency said it would continue to work closely with other state agencies to ensure strict adherence to the protocol, assuring the general public of its resolve to protect public health and safety.
The FDA has also mounted an intensive market surveillance to remove any such product if any is in circulation in Ghana.
