Investigations conducted by The Heritage have revealed an alarming increase in the mass preparation of food that contain such dangerous substances as carbon II oxide and toxins to thousands of unsuspecting consumers by some street food vendors, particularly ‘chop bar’ operators in parts of the capital.
The trend, health specialists have warned if not immediately nipped in the bud; could one day cause serious mass deaths to the teeming workforce of Ghana, especially bachelors who largely depend on wholesale food from street vendors for daily survival.
The paper found during its rounds that some chop bar operators connive with unscrupulous ‘connection men’ who are in the habit of securing goats, fowls and pigs from questionable sources to singe their fur and portions of the meat with lorry tyres and welders’ burners that emit smoke full of carbon monoxide for sale to the public. The food division of the Food and Drugs Board has consistently urged street vendors to employ the best hygienic practices in the preparation of food for mass consumption.
The board for instance is in the process of implementing a nationwide strategic intervention on the safety of traditional caterers and street food vendors.
The programme is expected to involve such major stakeholders as the Environmental Health Directorate under the ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ghana Tourist Board and the Ghana Traditional Caterers Association.
As the first step, the Board has already completed a pilot project of sensitizing 864 traditional caterers and street food vendors in Food Safety and Personal Hygiene in nine sub-metros within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
