The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has said that the investigation into the alleged food poisoning at Marwako Fast Foods revealed contamination of food and drinks consumed by the victims.
“Analyses of food samples, some juice drinks and swaps taken from the environment at the East Legon branch of Mawarko 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,” a statement from the FDA said.
The FDA also established that the levels of sanitation and hygiene in the food preparation areas in all three facilities were poor.
“The temperature of deep freezers and refrigerators were far above the acceptable ranges. The handling practices of ingredients used in cooking, cooled and ready-to-eat food items were also very poor,” the statement added.
It has assured that it will continually monitor activities at the various branches to ensure compliance with FDA’s directives and applicable regulatory requirements.
“The FDA has applied the appropriate regulatory sanctions and is also monitoring the implementation of the corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) by the management of Marwako Fast Foods to address all the non-conformances identified to prevent any reoccurrence,” the statement added.
The FDA further explained that its probe was hampered by a unilateral decision of the management of Marwarko to destroy food items that were being investigated.
Marwako, a fast-food eatery in Accra, has been in the news after several Twitter users complained of being served contaminated food, resulting in food poisoning.
The complaints were triggered by one Edward Elohim, who posted about his illness after eating at Marwako.
Several other users rehashed his statement, accusing the fast joint of putting them in a similar situation.
Many were subsequently hospitalized, with many of the alleged victims referencing the eatery’s East Legon branch as the possible source of their discomfort.
Subsequently, the FDA closed down the restaurant’s East Legon and Abelenkpe branches.
“The FDA has taken notice of complaints from the public about the suspected food poisoning at the East Legon Branch of Marwarko Restaurant.
“We have closed down the restaurant and, together with other relevant agencies, started investigations”, the tweet said.