By Harriet Boateng Sarpong
Accra, July 27, GNA – The Accra Metro Health Department has warned the public to prioritize food safety and avoid purchasing food that could harm health.
In an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency, Metro Health Director Florence Kuukyi said anyone who patronised food facilities, particularly roadside meals, was obliged to demand to see the medical certificates of sellers before buying from them.
She stated that the Assembly has asked food vendors to make photocopies of their medical certificates available and post them where they sell their meals, and it was the consumer’s responsibility to demand it.
“It is your duty, just like when you are boarding a car, it is your duty to check if a driver has a license before you sit in the car, but when it comes to food, we say we “move by faith not by sight.”
“Seeing the medical certificate is not enough; also check the person’s physical appearance, whether the person has rashes or has put on protective clothing, and so on,” she noted.
Madam Kuukyi stated that the Assembly conducts training and monitors all food vendors’ actions to ensure food safety compliance.
“We take them through what we call the Hazard Critical Analysis Control Point (HCACP) training, which is a full chain of training we take them through from the market till the food is being given out”.
Concerning the look of the vendors, the Metro Health Director stated that per the Assembly’s bylaws, food sellers are prohibited from sporting jewellery while preparing or selling their products.
“When you are selling food, you don’t have to leave your hair uncovered, you don’t have to put on nail polish, you don’t have to wear nail extensions, your nails must be down, you don’t even wear dangling earrings, chain and other things because they can drop inside the food,” she explained.
Madam Kuukyi said that food safety is jeopardized when contamination occurred along the food production chain from farm to fork.
She stated that food can become contaminated in three ways, leading to food poisoning.
“The first one is chemical food poisoning which happens at the farm gate with products like weedicides, pesticides etc.
“The second one is biological food poisoning, which happens when foods are not stored well and may cause reactions of microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria among others in the food and destroy the healthy nature of the food.
“The third is the mechanical food poisoning which happens when food is contaminated because it is not handled well by the final consumer,” she said.
She pointed out that nutritious food could be purchased at a market or restaurant but may get contaminated with microorganisms like salmonella due to how the consumer handled it.
Madam Kuukyi explained that environmental officials visit supermarkets, drinking establishments, school canteens, catering services, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, pubs, chop bars, food stops, food stands, and vendors at the start of each year to monitor and screen for compliance.
She said medical cards issued to the vendors after screening must be renewed yearly.
She said vendors who fail to undergo medical screening are taken to court and prosecuted.
GNA