KEY flour milling companies in the country have expressed worry about the influx of cheap substandard imported flour from neighbouring countries through illegal means.
The manufacturers said they had taken samples of the said imported flour for laboratory analysis and that the result was below the standard of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB).
Some of the said brands imported flour had Ivorian trade marks which were allegedly smuggled into the country.
The Public Relations Officer of the Takoradi Flour Mills, Mr Percy Botchway told the Daily Graphic that they had submitted the results and additional samples and brand names to the FDB for their own analysis.
He said a tour of various end users of the flour in Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi and other regions of the country indicated that bakeries now mixed the cheap imported brand with those manufactured by Takoradi Flour and Irani Brothers.
“We are in Ghana trying to do everything possible to ensure that our set standards were maintained but interestingly, the market has been diluted with sub standard, he said.
“In the bid to cut cost, some bakers have actually resorted to the mixture of our products with the cheap imported ones to produce and sell it to unsuspecting members of the general public,” the PRO added.
According to Mr Botchway, if the influx was not checked, it would create problems for the local flour industry.
He expressed the hope that the sector ministry would take the necessary steps to ensure that the right thing was done to protect the interest of the local manufacturers and the health of the people.
A drive through various shops in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis has actually revealed the display of some imported flour and the dealers could not tell who the suppliers were.
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