‘Expired Rice’ Controversy is Non-Political, No Politicians Involved – Kwadwo Poku

Kwadwo Poku, a member of the Bawumia campaign team, has dismissed claims that the distribution of 22,000 bags of expired rice to Free SHS institutions in Ghana is a political issue. Speaking on TV3’s Key Points program last Saturday, Mr. Poku stated that the controversy raised by NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, should not be politicized.

He emphasized that no politician was involved in the incident, instead attributing responsibility to technocrats in public institutions tasked with ensuring compliance. According to Mr. Poku, these individuals should be held accountable and investigated.

“This is not a political issue. All the people mentioned in this—at the FDA, Buffer Stock, and elsewhere—are not politicians; they are technocrats,” he stated.

“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 reiterated during the program on Saturday, November 23.

Ablakwa Demands Action on Expired Rice Incident

In contrast, Mr. Ablakwa has strongly criticized the government’s handling of the issue. He argued that if the Akufo-Addo administration cared about the well-being of students, the president would have ordered immediate health screenings for all senior high school students exposed to the alleged expired rice.

“Doctors say that continued consumption of infested rice can cause liver cancer. If we had a president who cared, he would have ordered the screening of SHS students,” Mr. Ablakwa said on the same program.

Mr. Ablakwa had earlier accused officials of repackaging expired rice for distribution to senior high schools under the Free SHS program. He described the Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare’s, dismissal of his claims as propaganda, calling it “the height of recklessness.”

The debate over the expired rice controversy has sparked widespread public concern, with calls for accountability and a thorough investigation into the matter.

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.

Speaking in an interview on TV3’s News360 on November 18, Mr Kwarteng said, “The FDA is the agency responsible for approval food consumed in the country. It has declared that the rice was wholesome and safe for consumption.”
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.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has therefore called for urgent national medical screening of all senior high schools students who have ingested the “contaminated rice”.
“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.”

READ: MoE launches investigation into expired repackaged rice for SHSs

The repacking of the products did not include vital information like manufacturing and expiration dates, which is in violation of the laws of 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.

READ: Deputy Education Minister denies meeting FDA over expired rice

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.

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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.

Source 3NEWS.COM