FDB schools food vendors on food safety

Food vendors designated by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) to sell at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra during the African Cup of Nations, Ghana 2008 tournament were on Wednesday schooled on food safety and hygiene to enable them to handle food properly. The day's workshop organized by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) exposed the vendors, who would be based at the Independence Square to salient areas in food safety to avoid any cases of food poisoning among football fans during the tournament. Mr. John Odame Darkwa, Deputy Chief Executive, Food Division of FDB, said with the current influx of visitors in the country for the tournament, it was imperative for more sensitization programmes to equip food providers with the requisite knowledge. He said the consequences of unsafe food such as food-borne illness and other associated economic implications demanded from governments and regulatory bodies to ensure that the citizenry had access to safe and quality food. Mr Odame Darkwa was optimistic that the sensitization programme would go a long way to improve not only on public health, but the image of Ghana as a whole. Speaking on Micro-organisms (Germs and Food Safety), Dr Mohammed Alfa, Head of Food Inspectorate, FDB, said poor handling of food accounts for 77 per cent of all food-borne diseases. He said regardless of the quality of ingredients, improper food handling would make food unsafe and lead to the creation of a vicious cycle of diarrhea, strain health delivery system, malnutrition and other related economic implications. Dr Alfa stated that germs are found all over the environment and on the human skin could multiple in number within 10 seconds, hence the need for hygienic practices in handling food items.