By: Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Representative of the Asantehemaa in charge of the Suame, Bantama and Racecourse Markets in Kumasi, Madam Afia Kyeiwaa, and the General Secretary of the Kumasi Traditional Caterers Association, Victor Osei-Wusu, have confirmed the adulteration of certain food items sold on the open market to unsuspecting consumers while some food vendors have also resorted to the use of unwholesome tomatoes in the preparation of meals for the public.
Madam Kyeiwaa asserted “many sellers of grounded pepper in the markets and streets mix their products with colour and milled chaff supplied by corn mills before putting them up for sale to the public. The same is with the palm oil sold to the public, they adulterate it with other things to give the oil the reddish colour but these are not good for the health of people.”
“Tried as we have to discourage such practices, to the extent of even causing the arrest of some of the people involved they are still doing it. So we are happy that this event has been brought here today and we plead with the regulatory agencies to step in to stop the practice” she added.
The General Secretary of the Kumasi Traditional Caterers Association, Victor Osei-Wusu, condemned the use of unwholesome tomatoes by food vendors in the metropolis in the preparation of their food for sale to members of the public and said the Association has directed its members to desist from such dishonest practices forthwith.
“We the Traditional Caterers Association have had the cause to ban the use of near-to-spoilt tomatoes in the preparation of food by our members. Such unwholesome tomatoes cause cooked foods to go bad within a short period but some people rather prefer using such ingredients because of profit”, Mr. Osei-Wusu noted.
They have therefore called on the state regulatory agencies including the Food and Drugs Authority to help stop such dishonest business practices to protect the consumer against contracting preventable diseases. These came to the fore at a national durbar in Kumasi to mark this year’s ‘World Food Safety Day’.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority, Roderick Kyei Adade, used the occasion to educate traders to adhere to best practices that will not compromise on the health and lives of the consumer.
Mr. Adade noted that, the FDA in concert with other relevant state regulatory agencies have worked very hard to contain the Anthrax disease that has broken out in the Upper East District such that, in the next at least one month, there must not be any movement of ruminants from the affected district to any part of the country.
He said, “in the areas in the Upper East region where the disease has been detected, we have placed a ban on the movement of ruminants in general outside. We are also sensitizing members of the public to be careful of the meat they consume in order not to get infected.”
The World Food Safety Day is one of the international events marked annually on 6th June to create awareness about the need for everyone to help promote the provision of wholesome food on the market for human consumption.
The Food and Drugs Authority, FDA, spearheaded the national commemoration of this year’s World Food Safety Day and for the first time, moved it from the national capital to Kumasi to help enhance public awareness about the Day especially the focus which was ‘Food Standard Saves Lives.’
As part of the occasion, staff of the FDA, joined by some members of the Kumasi Traditional Caterers Association, went on a float from the Bekwai Roundabout through the Okomfo Anokye Roundabout then the Banatama Market and ended at the Racecourse Market.
During the street procession, staff of the FDA distributed fliers with messages and images communicating the occasion and the need for everyone to adhere to food safety practices.
The choice of the Racecourse Market was informed by certain factors including the need to directly involve the traders, hawkers and even consumers in the public awareness creation drive while officials of the FDA took advantage to also point out some unhygienic practices that negatively affect the quality and wholesomeness of the food items sold on the market as well as the unhygienic practices not only at the Racecourse Market, but across the country for which the traders and hawkers’ attention was drawn to the need to correct same.
There was also a cooking competition among selected women at the event.
