PRODUCT RECALL - COA FS

The Food and Drugs Authority wishes to notify the general public of a recall involving all batches of COA FS Food Supplement manufactured by COA Herbal Centre, Cape Coast and registered with the FDA as a food supplement.

This is as a result of laboratory analysis on samples picked from the market and the manufacturing facility of COA Herbal Centre in Wusorkrom near Cape Coast, which showed excessive microbial, mold and yeast contamination.

The samples were also contaminated with E. Coli which must be absent in all medicinal products. This makes the product substandard and therefore not recommended. This contamination poses serious health risk to the consumers for the following reasons: E. Coli contamination can cause diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Exposure of children and older adults to E. Coli contamination can result in serious health implications like hemolytic uremic syndrome leading to kidney failures. Individuals with weakened immune systems (e.g HIV patients) can become seriously ill due to the ingestion of products contaminated with E. Coli In view of the above, those who are in possession of the product are being directed to return the product to the manufacturer, place of purchase or any of the FDA offices across the country.

Meanwhile, the manufacturer, COA Herbal Centre, has been directed by the FDA to recall the product from the Ghanaian market.

The FDA wants to assure the general public that it will always uphold the health and safety of Ghanaians as mandated by the Public Health Act, 2012, Act 851. Furthermore, the Ghanaian public is assured that FDA officers in the regions are working to ensure that this contaminated product (COA FS) is removed from the market.

Signed

DELESE A. A. DARKO (MRS)

Chief Executive Officer