As Ghana joined the world to celebrate World Food Safety Day, the Food and Drugs Authority is calling on Ghanaians to prioritise the consumption of safe, healthy and balanced meals. This would prevent the occurrence of some common lifestyle diseases.
Every year, June 7 marks the World Food Safety Day, which is dedicated to spreading awareness about foodborne risks and improving human health through conscious eating. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established the World Food Safety Day in 2018 to raise awareness of this important issue.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, as part of the Authority’s weeklong activities to mark the day, Angela Mawutor Adzor, a Regulatory Officer with the Upper East Regional Office of the FDA called on the citizenry to be wary of the food and food products the consume into their bodies.
“The theme for this year’s day is Safer Food, Better Health. You would realize that a lot of the sicknesses that we suffer from when you trace the origin, you will realize that it comes from food. This year, we are just promoting safe food. We believe that if we all eat well, then our health would be protected.”
“Safe food is food that is free of toxins, free of microorganisms that are harmful to us. A lot of us are not concerned about the food we are eating; what we are eating, when we are eating it, how we are eating it and where we are eating it. If you are eating from an FDA-approved regulated facility, you are know that the quality assurance is there,” she said.
Madam Adzor expressed some worry that often, people were more concerned about the quantity of the food they are eating rather than the quality and safety of the food. She continued that if people want to become conscious about what they feed their bodies, that has to change.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is encouraging food vendors in the Upper East Region to register their businesses with the Authority for a total sum of Ghc5 for the entire year. The registration would be done under the Street Food Vending Licensing Scheme.
The vendors would thus have Food Hygiene Permits.
Under this Scheme, food vendors are expected to reach a minimum threshold of specific health requirements. These include personal and environmental hygiene, quality and safety of food ingredients as well as other sanitary requirements along the food value chain.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
