Ghanani floods: FDA warns against eating food recovered from floodwaters

Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has warned the public not to consume or distribute food recovered from floodwaters after reports that some people were retrieving products from flooded areas following this week's deadly floods in Accra.

In a public health alert issued on Thursday, the regulator said it had observed unidentified individuals collecting food and other regulated products from flood-affected sites after heavy rains submerged parts of the Greater Accra Region on 29 June.

The FDA said some of those involved had indicated on social media that they intended to distribute the recovered products, including to students.

The authority warned that it could not guarantee the safety of any food exposed to floodwaters, saying such products may have been contaminated by sewage, chemicals, waste and harmful microorganisms capable of causing serious illness.

"Members of the public are strongly advised not to accept, consume, sell or distribute any food or other regulated products recovered from floodwaters," the FDA said.

It cautioned that contaminated food and water could increase the risk of outbreaks of diseases including cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery in communities affected by the flooding.

The regulator advised households to discard any food that had come into contact with floodwater and to use only safe drinking water. Where water quality is uncertain, it recommended boiling it for at least five minutes before consumption.

The FDA also urged residents to wash their hands regularly with soap and safe water, disinfect food preparation areas and kitchen utensils exposed to floodwater, and keep raw and cooked food separate to prevent cross-contamination.

Consumers were advised to exercise caution when buying food in the aftermath of the floods and to report anyone suspected of selling or distributing flood-damaged products.

The authority said it was working with other state agencies to monitor food safety in affected communities and pledged to take regulatory action against anyone found distributing unsafe products.

The warning comes days after severe flooding in parts of the Greater Accra Region left at least 13 people dead, displaced thousands of residents and raised concerns about the risk of disease outbreaks as clean-up operations continue.