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Politics News

Liberians risk dying of contaminated fish

The Inspector-General at the Ministry of Commerce in Monrovia alarms here that Liberians who bought and ate the much talked about plastic fish sold by Diamond Food, importer of fish and poultry products, risk dying of slow poison in the not too distant future.


Inspector-General Ms. Josephine W.A. Davies made the alarm Wednesday, when she appeared on ECOWAS Radio’s public affairs program “This Government Thing.”

Madam Davies, who describes the product as “slow poison”, notes that the fish turned to plastic because of dangerous chemical substances used by Diamond Food as preservatives.

She further reveals that due to the graveness of the situation, the Government of Liberia (GOL) has maintained the closure of the Diamond Food business establishment operated by a Lebanese merchant in the country.

According to her, samples of the highly toxic fish were sent to several countries including the Republic of Ghana for laboratory test, and results prove positive.Diamond Food has reportedly been involved in the use formaldehyde to preserve chicken parts brought in the country for public consumption. Formaldehyde is a dangerous substance that is used in a mortuary to embalm dead bodies.

The chemical causes harmful effects in living human beings. According to research, if injected into a person, it causes red blood cells to rupture, and leads to a condition called acidosis, in which a person has too much acid in the blood. Acidosis leads to numerous health problems, including organ dysfunction.

She explains that the fish drew the attention of a female customer after she purchased the product and noticed the plastic substance in it, did not reveal the name of the woman.

Meanwhile, the commerce Inspector-General announces that the Government of Liberia has fined 25 businesses operating in the country for gross infringement of commerce regulations, including possession of expired products; poor storage facilities, expiration of business operation documents and refusal to price tag goods on the shelf.

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Madam Davies says businesses involved are requested to remit said fines into government revenue in line with the ministry’s regulations.She adds that government is firm on enforcement of price tagging of commodities being sold by businesses in order to give the general public, particularly consumers an opportunity to know how much they are being sold in both Liberian and United States dollars.

By Emmanuel Mondaye-Editing by Jonathan Browne

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