The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has explained why turkey tail, popularly known in Ghana as tsofi, continues to find its way onto the market despite an official ban that has been in force for more than two decades.
According to the authority, the banned product remains difficult to completely eliminate because it is often concealed within consignments of other frozen food products, making detection at Ghana’s ports and border points a major challenge.
Turkey tail was prohibited in Ghana in 1999 over concerns about its high fat content and the associated health risks linked to excessive consumption.
Also read: Majority Whip shuts down NPP attempt to claim credit for legal education reforms
Health experts have consistently warned that the product contains unhealthy levels of fat that can contribute to obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.
Despite the longstanding ban, turkey tail continues to surface in some markets and cold stores across the country, raising fresh concerns among regulators and consumers.
The issue has returned to the spotlight following intensified warnings by the FDA about the circulation of the banned product within Ghana’s frozen food market.
Deputy Chief Executive in charge of the Food Division at the Food and Drugs Authority, Roderick Kwabena Daddey-Adjei, said importers and smugglers use sophisticated methods to hide the product among legitimate frozen items.
According to him, this makes it difficult for inspection officers to identify every prohibited item during routine checks.
“It might be that people will use some unapproved routes. Some will even be able to use the port. But as I said, it is frozen, and then it is mixed up with other items in the consignment,” he explained.
“When we are doing inspections, it is not like a 100 percent check. You sample, then pick, and then look at it.”
He added that the FDA and other relevant authorities are stepping up surveillance at the ports through “side verification inspections” targeting importers of frozen products.
The enhanced inspections are aimed at detecting contraband and preventing banned products such as turkey tail from entering Ghana’s food supply chain.
The FDA has reiterated its commitment to protecting public health and urged consumers to remain vigilant and report suspicious frozen meat products to the appropriate authorities.