Cigarette Toffee Sellers Arrested at Makola Market

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has arrested some traders at the Makola Market in Accra for allegedly selling products locally known as “cigarette toffee”.

The arrests were made on August 29, 2026, during an enforcement operation by the FDA to remove products considered unsafe or unsuitable for consumption from the busy market.

According to a news report by adomonline.com, FDA officials visited parts of the market where the products were reportedly being sold and apprehended traders suspected of dealing in the items.

A video from the operation showed some of the traders attempting to defend the product and insisting that it was harmless.

One trader caught selling the cigarette toffee expressed frustration over the arrest, shouting in Twi, “It is toffee , just toffee and we are being arrested , just toffee, Ghana is spoilt,”

The operation forms part of the FDA’s wider monitoring and enforcement activities aimed at protecting consumers and ensuring that products sold to the public meet safety requirements.

The Authority has in recent times increased its inspections at markets and other trading centres across the country to identify and remove unapproved products that could pose risks to public health.

The FDA has also placed particular attention on products that may be attractive to children, especially those packaged or presented in forms that could encourage them to consume the products.

The presence of products resembling cigarettes or being marketed in a cigarette-like form has raised concerns because of their potential appeal to children and the possibility of normalising the appearance of tobacco products.

The FDA is expected to conduct further investigations into the seized products and the traders arrested during the operation. The investigations will help the Authority determine the appropriate action to be taken.

The latest enforcement exercise also serves as a warning to traders who sell unapproved products that they may face action if found to be violating Ghana’s food and drugs regulations.

The FDA has urged traders to comply with the country’s regulations and ensure that only approved products are offered for sale to consumers.