The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng, has clarified that the 22,000 bags of rice, which were alleged to be expired and distributed to secondary schools across the country, are safe for consumption.
This follows claims made by the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who alleged that the rice, supplied under the Free Senior High School program, had expired and was repackaged for distribution to schools.
Mr. Ablakwa had pointed out that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) had fined Lamens, the company that allegedly repackaged the rice, GH₵100,000 for selling unapproved food products to the government. The NDC Caucus in Parliament on Monday, November 18, addressed the press and called for the arrest and prosecution of directors of Lamens Investment Africa Limited and board and management of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company.
Mr. Kwarteng, speaking to journalists after NDC’s press briefing refuted these claims, emphasizing that the rice was not expired.
He explained that the FDA had not fined Lamens for distributing unsafe food but for failing to obtain the proper approval for repackaging the rice.
According to Mr. Kwarteng, the rice had a “best before” date of December 2023, and Lamens had requested an extension for the expiry date from the FDA. However, the company proceeded with repackaging before receiving the necessary approval. The FDA later imposed a fine on Lamens for this breach of procedure, not for distributing unwholesome food.
Mr. Kwarteng further rejected the assertion that the rice was unfit for consumption, stating that the FDA had never declared the rice expired at the time of repackaging. He questioned the logic behind the idea that the Ministry of Education, or any responsible authority, would approve the distribution of such a large quantities of unwholesome rice to schools, suggesting that the claims were part of an agenda to create unnecessary alarm.
The controversy erupted after Mr. Ablakwa and other Minority MPs called for the arrest of the Chief Executive Officer and directors of Lamens, alleging improper conduct in the distribution process. Despite these calls, Kwarteng stressed that there was no evidence to support claims of expired food being sent to schools, and he accused the MP of attempting to create a crisis where none existed.