The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has arrested vendors selling cigarette-shaped candy at the Makola Market in Accra as part of efforts to clamp down on the sale and distribution of products considered harmful or unsuitable for consumption.
The operation forms part of the FDA’s efforts to stop the sale of products that may pose concerns, particularly those designed to imitate tobacco products.
The cigarette-shaped candy is designed to look like an actual cigarette, with its shape and size making it familiar to children. Its design also allows a child to hold it in a way that can mimic how a cigarette is held.
The concern is not that eating the candy would directly turn a child into a smoker. Rather, concerns have been raised about the repeated presentation of cigarette imagery as something playful and edible, which could make smoking appear less harmful or serious to young people.
Dr Albert Sedohia explained that children learn through association and modelling. He noted that when children see a candy shaped like a cigarette, they may be encouraged to imitate the way a cigarette is held and used.
The development has also brought attention to the legal measures being put in place to address products that could influence children’s attitudes towards smoking.
The FDA’s action at Makola Market forms part of its wider efforts to ensure that products sold to the public meet the required safety standards and are suitable for consumption.
 has arrested vendors selling cigarette-shaped candy at the Makola Market in Accra as part of efforts to clamp down on the sale and distribution of products considered harmful or unsuitable for consumption.){kind=link}