The Upper West Regional Communications Bureau of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed dismay at the alleged distribution of expired food to some Senior High Schools (SHSs).

“Our checks in some SHSs in the Region have revealed that government has distributed rice which expiry date was indicated as 'best before December 2023' - this means that this rice has barely two weeks of useful shelf life,” the Upper West Regional Communications Bureau of the NDC said in a statement issued on Sunday, 12 November 2023.

The Bureau expressed concern about the “possible health implications” of the students consuming food that is almost at the verge of expiry.

The Bureau referred to an incident that occurred in 2018.

“You may recall when flood disaster struck sections of Wa Municipal on the 25th of September, 2018, the Vice President and the 2024 Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Dr. Mahmud Bawumia paid a visit to sympathise with the flood victims, and his best effort was to donate expired food items to the flood victims which had serious health implications on them after consuming the expired food,” the Bureau is stated.

It called on government to sit up to its responsibility, “by providing sufficient, wholesome, not expired and safe-to-eat rice to our SHSs to feed our children.”

It further called on government to “always read about items/foodstuff before they procure and distribute same for consumption,” while urging the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to “check the safety of food items supplied to our SHSs to avert any possible food related disaster on our children”

“If the biological children of Akufo-Addo and Bawumia were in these schools, would they treat the children that way?” the Upper West Regional Communications Bureau of the NDC quizzed.