The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has given all importers, manufacturers, and distributors of mixed drinks containing both alcohol and stimulants to clear such products from the Ghanaian market by March 31, or face sanctions.
The FDA directive also compels Manufacturers and producers of these products to re-formulate their products to conform strictly to the approved standards for splitting Alcoholic Beverages and Energy Drinks into separate product categories.
The directive follows a a post-registration review of mixed drinks containing both depressant substances (alcohol) and stimulants such as caffeine, inositol, glucuronolactone, ginseng, and guarana.
The review took into account international and regional regulatory precedents, where several countries have restricted, suspended, or banned alcoholic energy drinks due to their associated public health risks.
It also assessed the safety and regulatory compliance of these products on the Ghanaian market, under Sections 81 and 82(a) of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), which empowers the FDA to enforce standards necessary to protect public health and safety.
The FDA explained that “growing scientific and public health evidence link the combined consumption of alcohol and stimulants to serious health risks and adverse psychosocial behaviours.”
