He said shop owners mostly did that to prevent rodents and insects from feeding on the edible products but it posed a threat to public health.

Mr Nkum, the Senior Regulatory Officer for the Brong-Ahafo Region, gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani and explained that the urine and faeces of cats could contaminate the products in the shop.

He urged shop operators to rather engage the services of certified pest control agents of the Environmental Protection Agency to use the appropriate chemicals to prevent insecticides and rodents from entering their shops to ensure public safety.

Mr Nkum entreated shop owners to keep their shops clean and ensure all goods and items were safe for public consumption. He said a lot of unwholesome edible items flooded the markets on occasions like the Yuletide, which consequently affected public health.

He, therefore, advised the public to check the expiry dates on consumables in addition to ascertaining if the inscriptions on them were in English to avoid consuming food containing allergic substances that would react negatively in their bodies.

 Consumers must also be circumspect about purchasing canned foods displayed in the sun as the content might be affected by the scorching sun. He advised traders to keep their products inside the shops or under umbrella to prevent contamination to protect public health.

Mr Nkum entreated the public to report traders suspected to have tampered with the expiry dates of products to the Police or the FDA for action to be taken.