Ghanaians have been advised to inspect the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) certification of vendors and restaurant operators before patronising their services.
This according to the FDA could guarantee that proper food safety standards were being upheld at the point of purchase and further reduce incidences of food poisoning in the country.
The Director for Food Safety and Consumer Education at the FDA, Faustina Atopra made the call at a seminar on food safety seminar on the theme “food standards, save lives” in Accra yesterday.
As part of the commemoration of this year’s World Food Safety day, the seminar sought to provide a platform for experts and stakeholders to discuss food safety standards in the country and improve regulation along the food chain.
Ms Atopra explained that the FDA in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development was sensitising food vendors and issuing food hygiene permits to ensure that food sold were wholesome for consumption.
“Most of them sell at a location and prepare the food somewhere else so we go to where they prepare the food to ensure that their food handling practices are the best then we visit where they sell the food to ensure that the environment is the best before we issue them with street food vending permit,” she said.
“When you enter any restaurant, the first thing you should look out for is the FDA food hygiene permit and be assured that this restaurant you are eating from, their practices have been well monitored and they have complied with the code of hygienic practices,” the Director, added.
The Senior Regulatory Officer, revealed that her outfit was collaborating with food delivery platforms such as Glovo to ensure that the food vendors on their platforms uphold food safety standards to ensure the safety of consumers.
She added that her outfit was regularly sensitising consumers as well on food safety since they also had a significant role to play, saying, “If you realise where you are buying the food from is compromised in terms of sanitation, why do you go ahead to buy?”
A veterinary technologist at the Veterinary Services Department, Mr Claude Otoo making his remarks in reference to the recent Anthrax outbreak indicated that as part of the safety laws in the country, a person must obtain a permit before moving an animal from one location to the other.
That, he said, was important for easy tracking and identification of diseases in case of an outbreak.
“A slaughter permit must be issued before an animal could be slaughtered however the cooperation is low. There are other people who also circumvent the process, doing illegal slaughtering and will not even take the permit but those who go to the approved facilities go with the approved permit.”
Mr Otoo said the Anthrax outbreak in the northern part of Ghana had so far been successfully contained and a vaccination process was underway to contain the epidemic.
The National Anti-Microbial Project Coordinator from the Food and Agricultural Organisation in Ghana, Dr Kofi Afakye said food safety was everyone’s business hence the need to adopt the proper food safety measures to ensure a healthy society.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH & JESSEL LARTEY THERSON-COFIE