Marwako Food Poisoning: FDA Says Food Samples From All Branches Were Contaminated

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) of Ghana has found that foods served at the East Legon branch of the Marwako Fast Food Limited were “heavily” contaminated leading to reported cases of food poisoning by some customers in May.

Additionally, the FDA has found that all foods served at the two other branches- Abelenkpe and La branches- were also contaminated.

This was contained in a statement updating the public about the issue.

“Analyses of samples of food, some juice drinks, and swaps taken from the environment at the East Legon branch of Marwako Fast Food Limited indicate that there was heavy microbial load (pathogens) which may be linked to the food borne disease reported.

“Samples collected from the Abelenkpe and La branches were also found to be heavily contaminated”, the statement revealed.

It further disclosed that the levels of sanitation and hygiene in the food preparation areas in all three facilities were poor, plus, the restaurant uses poor storage practices.

“The temperatures of deep freezers and refrigerators were far above the acceptable ranges. The handling practices of ingredients used in cooking, cooked and ready-to-eat food items were also very poor.”

The FDA also noted that its work in establishing the root cause of the contamination has been hampered following the decision by the management to the restaurant to destroy some of the food items whilst the investigation was in progress.

It held that the restaurant must remain closed to the public.

The FDA announced it had closed down the East Legon branch of Marwako Fast Food Limited on May 12, 2022, and subsequently proceeded to its two other branches to shut them down as well after a series of reports of food poisoning allegations flooded social media from persons who had eaten from the Marwako branch at East Legon.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini