BOARD DESTROYS 2,700 CARTONS OF TURKEY TAILS (PAGE 19, SEPT 4, 2010)

TWO thousand, seven hundred cartons of turkey tails have been destroyed at the Tema Port after an operation to inspect abandoned containers.
The exercise was undertaken by the Foods and Drugs Board (FDB) and allied agencies such as the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), National Security and the Police.
The consignment, valued at GH¢16,200, was said to have been imported into the country by Vinamay Enterprise on July 21, 2009 but was later abandoned.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at the Kpone landfill site where the cargo was buried, the head of Import and Export of FDB, Mr Yaw Kwarteng, indicated that the destruction was part of stringent regulations adopted by the board and the Ministry of Trade in 1999, aimed at banning the consumption of poultry products with total fat content exceeding 15 per cent.
According to him, the continuous consumption of the product which contained saturated fats had worsened the high incidence of various ailments such as heart conditions.
Quoting from scientific findings, Mr Kwarteng stated that high saturated fats in daily diets of individuals could massively increase the risk of lung, colon, uterine and prostrate cancers and, therefore, called for public support in the enforcement of the ban on turkey tail imports.
He implored the general public to adhere to the regulations owing to the health risk associated with the consumption of turkey tails.
“As part of measures being employed by the board as a major stakeholder in ensuring food safety in the country, a stakeholder’s forum on the adoption of new modules for the importation of frozen food would soon be held to consider inputs from the general public”, Mr Kwarteng stated.
The head of Public Relations of FDB, Mr James Lartey, assured the general public that the Board, in conjunction with the Veterinary Services Department, National Security and the CEPS had intensified the inspection of all frozen cargo to curtail the smuggling of turkey tails into the market.
“Frequent inspections of all cold storage facilities are ongoing as a mop up exercise aimed at confiscating any consignment that might have entered into the market through unauthorised routes”, Mr Lartey assured.