UNWHOLESOME FISH PROCESSED INTO FISHMEAL (PAGE 23, SEPT 27, 2010)

The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has granted a request from Daireson Company Limited, a fish processing company located at Tema, to process expired goldfish which was to be destroyed by the board two months ago, into fish meal.
The 2,000 cartons of imported fish were declared unwholesome when it arrived at the Tema Port and was detained by the Customs, Excise Preventive Service (CEPS) at the Tema Container Terminal (TCT).
It was later detected that the cargo had been moved and stored at the Greenwich Cold Store at Tema Fishing Harbour.
Concerned about public consumption of the unwholesome fish, the FDB stepped in and put a detention order on the cold store to ensure that the fish was not sold to the public.
The acting Deputy Chief Executive of the FDB, Mr J. Odame Darkwa, told the Daily Graphic that following an application from the fish meal company and further analysis on the expired fish, the commodity was found 'good' for fish meal .
A letter signed by Mr Odame Darkwa on behalf of the Chief Executive of the FDB acknowledging receipt of an application requesting to convert the fish into animal feed indicated that the Food and Drugs Board agreed to the request based on the condition that officials of FDB would supervise the carting of the commodity from the cold store and the conversion of the fish into the feed at the processing plant at a fee to be determined by the FDB.
As a result of the negotiation, the fish processing company, Daireson Ltd, has started the production of fish meal at their site near Tema Manhean, under close supervision of the FDB.
The Head of the Drugs Unit of the FDB, Mr Vigil Edmund Prah-Ashun, said they would supervise the milling of the expired fish.
A Director of Daireson Company, Mr Sammed Bawa, said the fish would go through steaming and drying before it is milled .
He indicated that the company had been operating for over four years and depended on waste from the Pioneer Fish Cannery and unwholesome fish from coldstores .
Mr Bawa said the company paid GH¢8,000 to CEPS for the two 40-footer container consignment of unwholesome fish and gave the assurance that he would co-operate with the FDB to ensure that the fish did not enter the market.