Dormaa - Ahenkro, May 26, GNA - The Dormaa Municipal Directorate of Health Service, on Tuesday organized a food and nutrition fair, aimed at promoting the consumption of nutritious indigenous foods, and the adoption of healthy eating habits against malnutrition of children.
The fair was put up by the Health Directorate following its observations on mothers about what types of food to prepare for their children, as well as notices about malnourishment and weight losses of children.
Mr. Tim Abagre Agandah, the Municipal Nutrition Officer, told the Ghana News Agency(GNA) in Dormaa - Ahenkro on the sidelines of the fair that it aimed at adding value to local foods and promoting healthy living.
He disclosed that the Directrate planned to replicate the idea in other parts of the Municipality.
He urged Ghanaians to demystify the notion and perception surrounding the consumption of certain local meals like 'eto,' that is, mashed plantain or cocoyam with palm nut oil and eggs, and 'apreprensa, ' crab over grounded maize with palm nut oil.
The Municipal Nutrition Officer regretted that although such meals had lots of nutritional value, Ghanaians were setting them aside in the name of modernity and urbanization for delicacies of foreign origin which were inimical to their health.
Mr Agandah condemned the stereotyping, demonizing, stigmatisation and vilification of locally produced foods adding 'there's nothing like spiritual foods associated with delicacies like 'eto' and 'apreprensa', we need to rely on local foods, instead of foreign ones.'
Madam Florence Iddrisa, the Municipal Health Director, noted that public health had become a subject promoted worldwide, focusing on disease prevention at the community level before they developed into advanced stages.
She said people were equipped with the knowledge about how to treat, detect and give information on preventive measures on minor diseases and how to contain them.
Madam Iddrisa appealed to mothers to frequently send their children between zero and five years to the appropriate facilities for immunization and checks on their nutritional levels.
The Municipal Health Director urged the government to construct laboratory centres for health facilities, especially those in remote parts of the Municipality, to enable them make early diagnosis for the timely treatment of diseases in such areas.
She disclosed that 75 per cent neo-natal deaths were recorded due to lack of incubators in the hospitals, and appealed for the construction of more health centres in distant communities well resourced with requisite medical equipment.
The fair saw the participation of 12 cooking groups in a food competition.
The foods included tuo-zaafi, konkonte and ground nut soup, banku and okro soup, apreprensa, local rice and palaver sauce, local cerelac (rice with coconut), and abunuabunu with fufu.
The rest were jollof rice with vegetables, ET with eggs and groundnut soup, banku with soya beans juice, abetee with soya beans juice, slice egg soup, nuhun and unimix, among others.
The fair was heralded with a quiz competition among health workers drawn from five sub municipal districts, as well as a health screening exercise.
GNA
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