The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has begun tracing and retrieving unregistered cigarette-shaped candies from the Ghanaian market as it investigates how the products entered the country and their distribution channels.
Upper East Regional Head of the FDA, Abel Ndego, said the products, popularly referred to as “cigarette lollipops,” have not been registered with the Authority, meaning their safety and compliance with Ghana’s food standards have not been established by the regulator.
Mr. Ndego disclosed this in a phone interview with Bolga FM during the station’s evening news bulletin.
The candies recently attracted attention on social media because they are designed to resemble cigarette sticks, raising concerns particularly because children are believed to be among their main consumers.
According to Mr. Ndego, the FDA has begun identifying markets where the products are being sold and tracing how they entered Ghana and moved through the distribution chain.
The Authority is also working to retrieve the unregistered products from the market while investigations continue.
Beyond their registration status, Mr. Ndego said the FDA is concerned about the cigarette-like appearance of the candies and the potential influence that could have on children.
He said children often learn through observation and imitation, raising concerns that repeated exposure to products designed to resemble cigarettes could make smoking appear acceptable or fashionable to them.
The FDA’s concern, he said, comes at a time when the Authority, other government institutions, civil society organisations and traditional authorities are working to discourage tobacco use and strengthen compliance with restrictions on smoking.
Mr. Ndego also referenced Ghana’s Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), which contains restrictions intended to prevent children from accessing tobacco products.
He expressed concern that although the candies are not themselves tobacco products, designing sweets consumed by children to resemble cigarettes could familiarise them with the appearance and act of smoking.
The FDA has consequently urged consumers to avoid purchasing or consuming unregistered food products.
Investigations are continuing to establish the source of the cigarette-shaped candies, how they entered Ghana and the channels through which they have been distributed.
A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Moses Anaba Azubire | Bolgatanga
