Bring Back Adonko Bitters-Patriotic Youth for Action (PYA)

A group calling itself Patriotic Youth for Action (PYA) has called on the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to lift the ban on the marketing and sale of Adonko Bitters or face its wrath.

The FDA suspended the registration and advertisement licence of Angel Group of Companies, manufacturers of Adonko Bitters, and directed the recall of the product from the market after the Authority discovered the company had allegedly sold alcohol to minors at a concert it organised at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Easter Monday April 17, 2017.

According to the FDA, most of the youth passed out at the event as a result of the excessive intake of the alcoholic product, flouting the caution of drinking responsibly.

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But the PYA in a statement described the recall of Adonko Bitters from the market as “harsh and unethical”.

According to it, since the inception of the product, thousands of Ghanaians, including members of the PYA, had been employed. “It has equally healed a great number of people since it is medicinal,” the group added.

“We have witnessed a lot of musical programmes organised by [manufacturers of] alcoholic beverages for some decades. To our utmost surprise, FDA never reprimanded any of the alcoholic beverage companies. The late comedian Bob Okala died on stage when he performed during a programme organised by Joy Dadi Bitters [an alcoholic beverage], FDA never sanctioned the said company.”

The PYA noted that the FDA could have punished the company in a better way than it had done.
To this end, PYA has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the FDA to reverse its decision or face their wrath.