High intake of sugary drinks by children ‘worrying’ – FDA

The  Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says it is concerned about the high intake of sweetened-carbonated drinks by the public, especially children.

According to the Director of Industrial Support at FDA, Kofi Essel, high consumption of sugar and sugary substances are contributing to sugar-related ailments thus the need to raise pubic awareness.

He bemoaned parents’ inability to control what the children consume noting that some allow children to drink lots of sugary drinks which poses health risks in the future.

In an interview on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo Morning Show, Kofi Essel said “the FDA and the Ghana Health Service have become very much concerned about the rate at which people consume these commodities [sweetened-carbonated drinks]. They are not unsafe in themselves but the intake of too much sugar is also contributing to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).”

He noted that as a precautionary measure, the FDA stops some combinations of ingredients for public health safety reasons.

“So there are certain combinations in formulations of foods that we (FDA) look out for. When you bring your product to the FDA and we see your formulation and realise that it would increase the sweetness we advise that you take out some components because the targets are children.”

He made the disclosure while speaking on food safety which he says his outfit is trying to raise public awareness on food hygiene on “World Safety Day”.

According to Mr. Essel, it is high time Ghanaians -both sellers and consumers – take food safety issues seriously to avoid injury or health-related risks.

He educated retailers and wholesalers of sachet water, bottled water and fizzy drinks to cease exposing them to direct sunlight.

He explained that water packaged in plastic or sachet may not be bad for health however, the danger is that plastic or sachet reacts to sunlight and thus generates chemicals that are harmful to the body.