By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA
Takoradi, Feb. 27, GNA – Mr. John Laryea Odai-Tettey, the Western Regional Head of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says food service establishments play important roles in daily living of nutrition, refreshment, culture, and employment.
However, food could be the source of various ailments when it is exposed to the risk of contamination through bad sales practices, storage, preparation, transportation, distributionhandling,ng, among others.
The Regional Head said, good catering and hygienic practices were a set of standard practices and activities that ensured that food was consistently prepared according to safety and quality standards which reduced and prevented cross-contamination that results in food-borne illnesses.
Mr. Odai-Tettey, the FDA Regional Head said this at the training for food service establishments within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and its environs on the appropriate training skills, procedures, and the need for appropriate apparel as well.
Explaining, he noted that a facility, must be designed and built in a manner that prevented contamination and prevented entry of pests, Processes, which were the various activities churn out the final food product and the procedures, which were the step-by-step instructions for carrying out the processes.
Mr. Odai-Tettey said Section 106 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) required that Food Business Operators must have supervisors with the appropriate knowledge to ensure the food met standards.
Section 106. “A person shall not manufacture a food for sale unless the food is manufactured under the supervision of a person with appropriate knowledge and qualification who can ensure the purity, quality and wholesomeness of the food.”
The Authority cautioned that all Food Business Operators (FBOs), especially, Food Service Establishments who had not regularised their operations with the FDA should immediately initiate the process of obtaining Food Hygiene Permits, facility licence (both of which must be displayed at the premises) and product registration certificates, at the FDA offices across the country to avoid closure and criminal prosecution.
The Regional Head said, “All (FBOs) are expected to develop, implement and maintain food safety management systems to assure food safety, e.g. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), ISO 9001:2000”.
Madam Adjoa Fordjour and Mr Francis Edem Odum, who are regulatory officers of the FDA took participants through topics including food safety requirement, WHO five keys to safer foods, Food Safety Management, quality assurance and control, food hazards and control and microorganism and food industry.
Some of the participants interviewed expressed their joy to be part of the training which had exposed them to new ideas and ways of improving food safety and security.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Linda Asante Agyei