‘Koobi’ sellers threaten naked demo over formalin claims

Some market women who trade in dried tilapia popularly known as ‘Koobi’ are threatening to stage a naked demonstration if “false” reports that the fish is preserved with a cancer-causing substance, formalin, are not stopped.

Formalin, which is a chemical used to prevent dead bodies from decomposing, is allegedly being used by the traders to preserve the fish; thus making it stiff, have a rubbery feel, clear eyes, red gills and take away its odour as well as drive away flies.

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, made this known during a working visit to the Food Research Institute (FRI) and the Industrial Research Institute (IRR) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Friday.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng, therefore, cautioned those involved in the act to desist from it since it was dangerous to human health.

But some women who trade in Koobi are livid about the reports. They claim that the reports are false and baseless and have the tendency to collapse their business.

“If they like they should come to this market and take our Koobi to the laboratory to go and test and see whether it is true if we are using chemicals or not,” a market woman who has been dealing in Koobi since 1979 said.

She added “I am sending this message to the minister to ban that message going around…if they don’t stop spreading those messages, we would stage a very big demonstration, all the women will be naked.”