The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has appealed to consumers to be wary of adulterated food products such as palm oil and red pepper which are selling in several markets in the country.
Head of the Food Safety Management Department of the Authority, Mrs Maria Lovelace-Johnson at a training workshop orgainsed by the FDA for members of the Queenmothers Foundation in Accra disclosed that the FDA’s investigations had revealed that most of the cases were consumer driven.
“Consumers ask them to do the red palm oil for them so we are stressing that the yellow palm oil is as good as the red one,” she said.
The session formed part of efforts of the Authority to increase consumer awareness about the life-threatening dangers of food contamination and adulteration and food safety in general.
The Queenmothers most of whom are also caterers and traders at major markets in the country will in turn impart the knowledge acquired onto their peers at the markets and households throughout.
Mrs Lovelace-Johnson asked participants to strictly observe the five keys to food safety.
She encouraged them to keep themselves clean by frequently washing their hands with soap “under running water”
To avoid pest infestation, she admonished them to wash plates and utensils after use and “clean and disinfect food contact surfaces before and after use.”
The participants were taught to separate raw foods, including fresh vegetables, fish, eggs, meat and poultry products from ready-to eat foods such as cooked rice and pastry.
“Equipment used to prepare raw foods should be properly cleaned and disinfected before use on ready-to-eat foods. Where possible use separate chopping boards and knives,” she appealed.
The FDA Resource Person further enjoined the caterers and Queenmothers to ensure that all foods are cooked very well, especially meat, fish and chicken.
She cautioned the participants to reheat left over foods properly and “bring soups and stews to boil before eating.”
Throwing light on keeping food at safe temperatures, Mrs Lovelace-Johnson reckoned that a major challenge the FDA had realized was the failure of many to keep food at safe and healthy temperatures.
According to her, food meant to be refrigerated should not be left at room temperature for more than three hours and “food should not be kept too long in the refrigerator.”
“Foods to be eaten hot should be held at hot holding temperature while foods such as salads should be kept at cold holding temperature,” she taught.
Mrs Lovelace-Johnson was unhappy with the practice where consumers buy rotten and maggot-infested tomatoes and pepper “because they are cheaper.”
She further urged consumers not to buy food products that are sold under unhygienic conditions and avoid buying dented, rusty, leaking or expired canned foods.
President of the Queenmothers Foundation advised traders and caterers to be wary especially of groundnut paste sold openly on the market.
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