The Public Relations Officer for Marwako Fast Foods has challenged the damning findings by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the wake of the alleged food poisoning recorded at some of the eatery’s branches.
The FDA in a statement released on Monday, June 14, 2022, provided an update on its investigations into the matter noting that it has established poor sanitation, poor storage, and microbial infestation as the causes of the food poisoning.
But reacting to the report in an interview with JoyNews, the PRO of Marwako, Mohammed Amin Lamptey said “We can even say we would disagree with FDA to all intents and purposes. We may need an independent investigation on what they have also done, and as | have said earlier when it comes to the restaurant business, anybody that understands that business knows that there are certain items or ingredients that when you use them in a day, you cannot use them the next day.”
According to the PRO, the actions of the FDA clearly come off as “something that has been done to totally damage the brand of Marwako Fast Food”.
The FDA on May 12, 2022, announced the closure of the East Legon Branch of Marwako following widespread reports of food poisoning on social media.
“The FDA has taken notice of complaints from the public about the suspected food poisoning at the East Legon Branch of Marwarko Restaurant.
“We have closed down the restaurant and together with other relevant agencies, started investigations”, FDA said in a tweet.
In its latest statement providing an update on the investigations, “Analyses of samples of food, some juice drinks, and swaps have taken from the environment at the East Legon branch of Mawarko Fast Food Limited indicate that there was heavy microbial load (pathogens) which may be linked to the food borne disease reported.
“Samples collected from the Abelenkpe and La branches were also found to be contaminated. The levels of sanitation and hygiene in the food preparation areas in all three facilities were poor,” the FDA stated.
In addition, the Authority said, “it was also established that there were poor storage practices. The temperatures of deep freezers and refrigerators were far above the acceptable ranges. The handling practices of ingredients used in cooking, cooked and ready-to-eat food items were also very poor’.
