FDB educates food producers in Ashanti

Mr Joseph Yaw-Bernie Bennie, Zonal Officer of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), has advised food producers to always adhere to hygienic standards in the preparation of food.
Making the call in Kumasi on Wednesday, he said food safety was a public health concern, which affected the socio-economic status of a country.
“All conditions necessary to ensure the wholesomeness of food from the farm yard to the distribution chain was therefore paramount to safeguard the health of the populace,” he added.
The Zonal Officer was addressing participants at a seminar organized by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), as part of the Second Annual International Health Fair, which was underway in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
It was aimed among other things, at educating the general public about the dangers of eating contaminated foods, food safety, storage, hygiene as well as the safe handling of food products.
“All persons selling food must complete medical examination to certify that they are free from any food-borne ailment and all medical certification must be reviewed periodically”, he stressed.
He said food contamination could come about due to environmental factors such as microbial and physical particles including bacteria, moulds, threads, insects, and sand and advised food producers in the country.
The Zonal Officer appealed to farmers to use approved agro-chemicals and desist from unauthorized means since it posed danger to health.
Mr Bennie assured Ghanaians that, the FDB was performing creditably to ensure that citizens used good and quality products to improve the health status of Ghanaians.
He advised the general public not to use products that were not certified by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) and Ghana Standard Board (GSB) and added that Ghanaians must report such products that finds its way into the open market.