The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has assured the public that results from samples of mangoes from some major markets tested so far indicate that none contain calcium carbide.
The assurance comes after the FDA was alerted to a social media video promoting the use of calcium carbide as a chemical for enhancing mango ripening.
The video also demonstrated how to distinguish chemically ripened mangoes from naturally ripened ones.
However, a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency stated that the claims made in the video were false.
“After the video came to our notice, the Authority embarked on a survey to sample and test mangoes from the major markets and sales points across the country. Results obtained from the samples tested so far indicate that none of the samples contain calcium carbide,” the statement said.
The statement said the survey and testing are still ongoing, as is the FDA’s public education campaign on the dangers of using chemicals to quicken the ripening of fruits.
The FDA warned that calcium carbide is toxic and that using it to speed up the ripening of fruits was dangerous to consumers and therefore illegal.
It said that the use of the “floating” test to determine whether a mango is naturally ripened or chemically ripened, as demonstrated in the video, was not a proven standard test.
Scientifically, the cause of the floating fruit could be traced to a variety of factors, including pest infestation caused by fruit flies and mango moths, the statement noted.
It cautioned traders and the public against using calcium carbide to ripen fruits or in food processing because it is carcinogenic and harmful to both consumers and handlers.
The FDA asked the public to report any instances of chemicals being used to ripen fruits to ensure appropriate action was taken.
