The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued an urgent public notice warning consumers against purchasing or consuming food and beverage products with peeling, stained, or discoloured labels, cautioning that they may have been contaminated by floodwater and pose severe health risks.
The public advisory follows recent heavy flooding across parts of the country, which left numerous commercial stocks submerged. In a public notice dated August 13, 2026, the Authority revealed that certain unscrupulous traders have been attempting to wash, clean, repackage, and resell flood-damaged inventory to unsuspecting buyers.
The FDA emphasized that floodwater routinely carries sewage, refuse, and dangerous microbial contaminants. Simply washing the exterior of a bottle or shrink-wrapped container does not make the contents safe for consumption, as caps, seals, and packaging can easily become breached when submerged. Consuming such compromised items exposes the public to serious water-borne diseases, including cholera, typhoid fever, and dysentery.
Under the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), it is illegal to sell, offer for sale, or distribute any food product that is contaminated, unwholesome, or unfit for human consumption. The FDA reiterates that it holds full statutory authority to seize such items and prosecute offenders.
Members of the public are strongly advised to avoid any food or beverage items displaying mud stains, watermarks, or peeling labels on the bottle, cap, or package. Consumers should also remain vigilant against items sold from unusual locations or hawked in bulk without a verifiable source, buying exclusively from licensed and reputable retail outlets.
Households and shop owners are urged to safely discard any stock affected by floodwaters. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are strictly forbidden from attempting to wash, repack, relabel, or resell submerged stock under any circumstances. Affected inventory must be quarantined immediately, and the nearest FDA office notified to oversee proper verification and safe disposal. The Authority warned that failure to comply constitutes a punishable offense subject to full sanctions under the law.