Officials at the Public Health Department under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Wednesday afternoon disposed a total amount of 18 bags of rice that are ‘unfit for public consumption’ into the river at the Denton Bridge in Banjul. The move manifests the authorities’ commitment to ensure that food that the masses consume is safe, to avoid health hazards normally caused by unfit or expiry food stuffs.

All the 18 bags of the American branded rice, according to the public health officers, were discovered in the warehouse of a Mauritanianbusinessman, Bul Taban. The officers during their routine inspection in Banjul on Monday came across the fungus-plagued bags of rice, and thus condemned the consumption of the said rice that were housed at Taban’s Buckle Street warehouse.

Speaking to the Daily Observer at the disposal site, one of the public health officers, Areta Mendy, explained that during their inspection it was observed that there was poor roofing at one side of the warehouse, which caused a leakage, thus affecting the rice in the store. “As a result of this,” she added, “it had caked and had slight fungal growth.” She noted that a thorough screening was mounted but it was discovered that only the 18 bags were condemned for human consumption.

Other public health officers present at the exercise at the Denton Bridgewere Nyima Fofana and Haddy Jatta.