The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has raised concerns over the presence of lead and other heavy metals in some food products, cosmetics and household cooking utensils, warning of potential health risks to consumers.

According to the Deputy Chief Executive for the Food Division at the FDA, Roderick Kwabena Daddy-Adjei, samples collected from different products, including turmeric, children’s food, Winniemix, corn, Tom Brown and Kaji Kaji, showed the presence of lead.

The findings, he said, point to the need for urgent measures to educate the public and reduce exposure to harmful substances in everyday products.

Speaking at the launch of the National Strategic Plan for Heavy Metal Reduction in Food in Accra, he explained that one of the proposed responses is public sensitisation to ensure that consumers understand the potential dangers associated with some products.

He said “From the different food products that we picked – turmeric, food for the children, Winniemix, corn, what people say Tom Brown, Kaji Kaji and the rest – all that we picked, in the end, we realised that there is lead in our food and in some of our cosmetics. So, we have to come up with a plan.”

He also cautioned women who consume or use products known as ‘Shire’, noting that some of these products may contain lead and may not be necessary for consumers to use.

Beyond lead, the assessment also identified cadmium, another heavy metal that can pose health risks when people are exposed to it over time.

“Some of the strategies include sensitisation, making people aware that all is not well. The women who are taking ‘Shire’, we are making them aware that some of those products are not necessary. Because in many of them, you may have lead,” he said.

According to him, prolonged exposure to certain heavy metals can have serious consequences, including damage to vital organs and an increased risk of some diseases.

“Even to our surprise, one of the things that we saw was that there’s what we call cadmium. These are heavy metals. Heavy metals are chemicals that are in small quantities, but they can give us a lot of problems. They can cause cancer; they can affect our liver. We are not in safe times. Some of the cooking utensils may have lead,” he added.

In October 2025, a joint study by the FDA and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) uncovered dangerously high levels of lead in some everyday products widely consumed and used in Ghana.

The research, conducted across major markets in all 16 regions, revealed that the levels of lead found in these products pose a serious health risk, especially to children and pregnant people.

The FDA study found that:

Traditional eyeliner, also known as Kaji kaji, or kholi, is often used by mothers to supposedly brighten the eyes of their children. About 80% of the samples tested contained dangerously high levels of lead, with some exceeding permissible limits by tens of thousands.
White baked clay known locally as shire, ayilor and farinkasa. Consumed largely by pregnant people to ease nausea, 24.6% of samples were contaminated with lead, with the Northeast and the Greater Accra regions showing the highest rates.
Contaminated turmeric: Ground turmeric (powder) sampled from food markets showed that 42.09% of samples tested for high levels of lead, especially in the Greater Accra (84.52%), Central (75%), and Bono (60.5%) regions.
Contaminated Cereals: Corn-based cereal mix locally known as Tom brown, sampled from markets, showed high lead contamination in 4.4% of samples, with most affected samples from the Eastern region.
Old plumbing and cookware: Lead can leach into drinking water or be inhaled during cooking.