Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has confiscated more than 5,000 packs of unapproved baby diapers from market outlets across the Tamale Metropolis, warning that the products pose direct health risks to infants, including skin irritations and infections.
During the enforcement sweep, FDA officials moved through shops and market stalls, checking baby diapers for proper registration, labeling, and compliance with safety standards. Several products were found to be either unregistered, poorly labeled, or entirely lacking FDA approval.
Meshack Gandaa, Principal Regulatory Officer of the FDA, described the prevalence of non-compliant products as widespread and warned that traders found selling unapproved items will face regulatory sanctions.
“Consumers should always look out for FDA registration numbers on products. If a product does not conform to regulatory standards, it should be reported to the nearest FDA office,” he advised.
Gandaa said all confiscated products will be safely disposed of, while investigations are underway to trace the origin of the unregistered diapers, including the importers and distributors responsible for placing them into the supply chain. He stressed that the FDA intends to address the problem at its root rather than stopping at retail seizures.
Not all reactions to the operation were straightforward, however. Several traders affected by the exercise called for more public education from the FDA before enforcement actions are carried out. One retailer, Zeliya Inusah, whose shop had 20 packs of diapers seized, said she was unaware the products were unapproved, believing they had arrived through a reputable supplier. She appealed for leniency and urged the Authority to concentrate enforcement more decisively on importers and distributors, rather than on retailers who may be unknowing recipients of non-compliant stock.
The FDA said the exercise will continue across the Tamale Metropolis as part of ongoing efforts to ensure only safe and properly approved products remain available to consumers.
