Eurofood did not use unwholesome flour - Solicitor

Accra, June 13, GNA- Eurofood Ghana Limited, producers of Malt'n' Milk and other confectioneries on Tuesday debunked media reports that the company was using unwholesome flour for its products. Mr Bernard Turkson, Company Solicitor, said at a press conference in Accra at the factory that the reports were "complete misinformation". "We are not using contaminated flour for our production and we would never do that," he said.

Mr Turkson said the company observed that some consignment of flour in the company's bonded warehouse had been infested with weevils and maggots and therefore, decided to transfer them into a container for destruction last Thursday June 8, this year.

He said that was to enable the Food and Drugs Board; Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Port Health and the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to certify its unwholesomeness for destruction in conformity with the law.

Mr Turkson said it was at that juncture that the company was stormed last Monday by a contingent of about 100 policemen with the media who took pictures of the maggots infected flour creating the impression that, that was what was used for production.

"The directors and I were all sent to the Police Headquarters where we were charged with producing unwholesome food for the market," he said, adding that investigation was still ongoing.

Mr Turkson said the company was liaising with Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) for the required certificate for destruction before the police came in.

"Everything here is under custom bond and we cannot do anything without certification from CEPS first and foremost before even contacting the other parties involved," he said.

"The police did not give us the chance to explain. They just rounded us all up and allowed the media to take pictures as if that was the fact", Mr Turkson said.

He said some bags of floor were disposed off in like manner last year and that he was therefore at a loss why this particular batch should attract media attention in the manner that it took place. Mr Turkson said the company could not ascertain the source of the information, but was not ruling out the fact that the allegation could come from their opponents in the food manufacturing industry.

Mr Laud Tieku Mensah, Union Chairman of the Company who corroborated the story of the solicitor said the unwholesome products were not used for the manufacturing of confectioneries at the premises. Mr Marc Skaf, Chairman and Managing Director of the company said it was his believe that if the company was in any way going wrong in its production line, it was the duty of the Food and Drugs Board to draw the attention of the managers and if possible close the factory down.

He said the best way for the company to compete favourably with other companies was to produce good and quality products and the markets would be available.

"We have worked from Cote d'Ivore for the past 15 year, but last year we relocated to Ghana because we believed from here we can penetrate the rest of the sub-region.

"We would not do anything to compromise the standard we have set for our selves and the relationship we have built as an investor in Ghana", Mr Skaf said.

There were media reports on Monday and Tuesday that the company was producing its line products including Malt 'n' Milk, Cleo Digestive Wafer and Sweety biscuits with unwholesome flour that had been infested with maggots, weevils, worms, termites and fungi. 13 June 06