Roderick Kwabena Daddey-Adjei, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has refuted social media claims that adding plastic to fry plantain chips does make them crispier.
According to the FDA Deputy CEO, the circulating claims on social media are false and misleading, adding that such claims are not just in Ghana.
He further disclosed that the FDA are carrying out nationwide market checks, adding that there has been no evidence that plastic is being used in frying plantain chips.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Wednesday, March 11, Roderick Kwabena Daddey-Adjei stated, “What is going around is purporting that if you use plastic, the plastic melts and then coats the plantain, and therefore it becomes crisp.
That is wrong, and that is something we have already put out there on social media and on YouTube, where we emphasize that these are myths, in fact not only in Ghana. There are other places in Asia where such stories and some people who want to trend come up with such stories.
“We want to assure the public that so far the FDA hasn’t had such evidence and is still conducting the market surveillance. If you put such plastics in oil, the plastic is another type of chemistry, and the oil is edible, they don’t mix so people should not come up with such information,” he said.
Meanwhile, the FDA has warned Ghanaian food vendors that the use of melted plastic in frying to enhance the crispiness and shelf life of the product is a direct chemical contamination.
According to the FDA, the melting of plastic in frying oil is a direct chemical contamination of food and renders the product unsafe for human consumption.
The FDA statement follows videos and reports circulating on social media, which alleged that some plantain chip vendors were using melted plastic in frying to enhance the crispiness and shelf life of the product.
The FDA announced that persons found using plastics or polythene in frying plantain chips would be arrested and prosecuted.
According to the FDA, using plastics or polythene in frying plantain constitutes a criminal offence.
In a statement, the FDA urged consumers to remain vigilant and report plantain chips that have an unusual chemical smell, a plastic-like aftertaste, or maintain the same texture for an unusually long period.
The FDA have further announced that they have launched nationwide market surveillance and laboratory testing of plantain chips following allegations.
Parts of the FDA statement read, “Pursuant to Section 100 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), which prohibits the sale of unwholesome or contaminated food, the use of any non-food-grade additive, including plastics, in food preparation is a criminal offence. Any person found engaging in this practice will face the full rigours of the law, including prosecution and permanent closure of their business”.
However, a Ghanaian plantain chips seller has claimed there is nothing wrong with frying plantain chips with plastic bags.
The Plantain chips seller made these claims while she demonstrated how the chips are fried using plastic bags to achieve a crisp finish.
According to the Plantain chips seller, the plastic does not melt into the oil, and as such, arguing that the current public outrage is only being generated by some persons to destroy their businesses.
Speaking in a video shared by SIKAOFFICIAL on X, the Plantain chips seller boldly claimed, “There’s nothing wrong with frying plantain chips with plastic bags. Family, look at this; the plantain chips that you claim we fry with plastic bags, I don’t understand. Look at the plastic bag we placed in the oil. It is still the same even after putting it in the hot oil.
So, I don’t understand why Ghanaians have believed the claim that we fry with plastic bags. What at all happens when we put the bag in the oil to fry that you want to spoil our business?” she quizzed.
She further added, “If it’s a deliberate thing you are doing to destroy our businesses, then please stop because you won’t gain anything”.