Roderick Kwabena Daddey-Adjei, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has refuted internet rumours that vendors are adding plastic to the oil used to fry plantain chips in order to make them crispier.
He called the claims “false and misleading” in an interview with Channel One Newsroom on Wednesday, March 11, pointing out that these falsehoods are not exclusive to Ghana.
He clarified that there is currently no proof that plastic is being used to fry plantain chips, but the FDA is still doing nationwide market checks to look into the claims.
“What is going around is purporting that if you use plastic, the plastic melts and then coats the plantain, and therefore it becomes crisp. That is wrong, and that is something we have already put out there on social media and on YouTube, where we emphasize that these are myths, in fact not only in Ghana. There are other places in Asia where such stories and some people who want to trend come up with such stories.”
“We want to assure the public that so far the FDA hasn’t had such evidence and is still conducting the market surveillance. If you put such plastics in oil, the plastic is another type of chemistry, and the oil is edible, they don’t mix so people should not come up with such information,” he stated.
Additionally, instead of disseminating potentially false videos or rumours on social media, he urged the people to report any concerns about food safety directly to the FDA.
Source: newsthemegh.com