The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) has issued a warning regarding the widespread presence of substandard and unlabeled paints in the Ghanaian market, particularly those deceptively branded as “American Paints.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, June 12, 2023, CPA CEO Kofi Owusu Hene announced that a surveillance task force had uncovered numerous paint products being imported into Ghana in unlabelled drums, violating Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
He explained that these paints are subsequently repackaged and falsely labelled as “American Paints” before being sold locally.
”These paints are imported into the country packaged in unlabeled drums, lacking any indication or origin or manufacturer, contrary to GSA and EPA regulations. These unlabeled paints are then re-packaged and labelled as ‘American Paints’, which are sold and distributed into the local market.
“Our investigations confirm that products manufactured in the USA, whether for domestic use or export, should not lack essential labelling, including the manufacturer’s details, batch number, ingredients, expiring date and barcode for traceability. We are informing the public that these so called “American Paints” are fraudulent and are misleading consumers,” he said.
Moreover, he drew attention to a troubling pattern of individuals producing paint in unregulated environments, such as backyards and homes.
These makeshift operations, he pointed out, not only compromise the quality of paint but also present considerable health hazards to both the producers and neighboring residents due to the dangerous nature of paint production.
Given these discoveries, the CPA has called on regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ghana Standards Authority, to work together to clamp down on these illicit paint manufacturing activities.