Investigate alleged expired rice distribution to senior high schools - NDC MPs to govt

Some members of Parliament from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus, led by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the member for the North Tongu constituency have called on the President to setup a commission of inquiry to investigate the distribution of alleged contaminated rice to senior high schools in December 2023.

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who first made the allegation last week, said the rice numbering over 22,000 pieces of the 50 kg bags were expired and contaminated.

He said the bags of rice were repackaged and distributed to senior high schools across the country by the National Buffer Stock Company.  

He alleged that the rice, imported from India, expired on December 20, 2023 but they were repackaged into white 50kg polypropylene bags as Made-in-Ghana rice with the inscription “CEDAO ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve.”   

The bags, without any expiry dates, were repackaged in an unlicensed storage facility of the Buffer Stock, were then distributed to various SHS where they had been consumed by thousands of innocent students.

“President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia cannot remain silent on this grave matter which jeopardises the health of millions of Ghanaian students,” he said. 

Punish culprits

Speaking to the press in Parliament today, the Chairman of the Government Assurance Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said food items were found to have expired by the Food and Drugs Authority laboratory tests.

“The nation is looking up to them to offer leadership, punish culprits who are largely their appointees and implement reforms to ensure the safety of our children. 

“The NDC Caucus also demands the immediate arrest and prosecution of the directors of Lamens Investments Africa Limited and the board and management of the National Food Buffer Stock Company must be sanctioned for allowing their storage facility to be used for this atrocious act,” he said.

Finding

Mr Ablakwa, who is also the Chairman of the Government Assurance Committee of Parliament said on December 20, 2023, the Ashanti Regional office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) received an alert from a patriotic Ghanaian about a suspicious re-packaging exercise which had not been authorized by the FDA. 

This unauthorised re-packaging was shockingly being carried out at the storage facility of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) in the Ashanti Region.

The MP for North Tongu said when FDA officials acted on the alert, it emerged that a similar alert had been received by the Ashanti Regional Police Command and the command had promptly moved in to close the storage facility. 

The FDA and the Ashanti Regional Police Command then commenced investigations into the matter, he said. 

He said Ashanti Regional FDA’s investigations revealed a damning finding as contained in an intercepted report signed by its Ashanti Regional Head, John Laryea Odai-Tettey

“The Moshosho rice (25 per cent broken white rice) with registration number FDA/Ce 20-701 was imported by Lamens Investments Africa Limited and the notify party is the National Food Buffer Stock Company. 

“The rice was exported from India by Satya Balajee Rice Industries PVT Ltd and in all 33,000 bags of 50kg bags of rice were imported,” he said.

Mr Ablakwa said the National Food Buffer Stock storage facility in Kumasi received 22,000 bags of 50kg rice by the time of the alert, while the remaining 10,000 bags were being kept at a bonded warehouse in Tema known as Lynbrok. 

Contravening the law

He said Lamens Investments Africa and National Food Buffer Stock realising that the best before date for the Moshosho Rice was December 2023 started “criminally re-packaging the Moshosho Rice from its original yellow 50kg polypropylene bags into white 50kg polypropylene bags with the inscription “CEDAO ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve.” 

“While the best before date on the original Moshosho Rice packaging was December 2023, there was no date on the new bags being used for the repackaging. 

“This contravenes the General Labelling Regulation, LI 1541 and the country of origin-India- was also changed to Ghana concealing the true identity of the rice and creating a false narrative that Buffer Stock and the Free SHS Secretariat were distributing Made-in-Ghana rice,” he said.

That illegal re-packaging, he said, was carried out without FDA’s approval as required by law. 

Admission of wrongdoing  

Mr Ablakwa pointed out the National Food Buffer Stock storage facility had neither been licensed for storage or re-packaging contrary to the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), while it was determined that the NAFCO storage facility had no qualified or trained person to supervise its activities. 

“At the time of the criminal re-bagging, investigations revealed that Lamens and NAFCO did not have approval for shelf-life extension neither did they have the approval of the FDA to embark on their reckless, callous and criminal operation,” he said.

He added that the importer, Lamens Investments Africa Ltd, was single sourced by NAFCO in spite of the fact that Lamens had no proven credible track record. “Lamens was actually incorporated on July 20, 2020,” he said, pointing out how the company had become notorious for offering unwholesome food to SHS students. 

He cited a 2021 Auditor General’s report exposed Lamens for endangering the health of students with their contaminated food. 

“They were also engaged in undersupplying food items,” he said, citing how Lamens had admitted to its wrongdoing and agreed to pay an administrative fine of GH₵100,000.

“Indeed, additional intercepted documents confirm that Lamens paid a 50 per cent deposit of the fine to the FDA amounting to GHS50,000 and it was received by the FDA on January 5, 2024,” he said.

He said the Ashanti Regional Police Command in an intercepted letter dated December 21, 2023, signed by J.J. Boye, Superintendent/Crime/Ashanti wrote to the Ashanti Regional FDA Director requesting assistance in conducting an examination of the re-packaged rice. 

Shockingly, he even before the test results would arrive from FDA-Accra, “a reckless order came from above that the re-packaged rice be distributed to SHS”.

“The FDA eventually submitted the test results, also known as certificate of analysis on the February 6, 2024 which showed that the expired and contaminated repackaged bags of rice were already distributed to schools on the February 1 and 2, 2024.