The Food and Drugs Authority has reacted to the recall and importation bans imposed on Indomie Instant Noodles (Chicken Flavour) in certain African countries.

The FDA in a statement assured that the affected product “Indomie Instant Chicken Noodles’ with the “Ladha Ya Kuku” inscription on the label is not a registered product in Ghana.

It said the only Indomie Instant Chicken Noodles product on the Ghanaian market is manufactured in Ghana or occasionally sourced from Nigeria.

“The only Indomie Instant Chicken Noodles product that is registered in Ghana is manufactured locally and only occasionally sourced from Nigeria,” the statement said.

“Both products are taken through a rigorous process including testing regimes for aflatoxins and pesticide residues before market authorization is given. Meanwhile, periodic post-market testing is also conducted”.

Recalls importation bans across Africa

Over the past week, regulators in countries including Egypt, Rwanda, Kenya and Southern Africa have issued alerts, recalls and importation bans over concerns about the safety of the product.

The Egyptian Food Safety Authority announced that 733,340 cartons of different Indomie product flavours had been withdrawn from the market.

The manufacturing company was also given an ultimatum of 48 hours to withdraw its non-conforming products.

The authority added, in a statement, that the manufacturer was still continuing to withdraw its products that do not comply with food safety requirements, in addition to offering instant noodles without chilli bags.

Rwanda’s Food and Drug Authority also started an inspection into the ‘Indomie chicken flavour’ product over health concerns and asked for imports to stop.

Also, the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission (CCA) raised an alarm that similar products are being imported and marketed in the other Member States.

The Commission warned the general public of the risks of consuming the product and to exercise caution on the consumption of same.

Testing ongoing in Ghana

Ghana’s FDA said it was currently testing samples of the product obtained from various sales points in the country.

It also directed persons in possession of the unregistered Indomie products to contact the FDA immediately.

“In light of the recent recalls in other countries, the FDA has picked samples manufacturing facility in Ghana as well as different points of sale across regions nationwide for testing at the Centre for Laboratory Services and Research,” the statement said.

“The FDA wishes to assure the public that, its surveillance teams are monitoring the markets for any of these unregistered Indomie products and will not renege on its mandate to protect public health and safety”.