Every bite every time, prioritise safety! …A charge to be food safety conscious

Crunchysights of chips packed in transparent plastic bags, deshelled boiled eggs split in halves and stuffed with chilli pepper, deep-fried doughnuts or pastries displayed in glass casings enticing the buyer who has but a few cedis to spare and the list is endless.

On streets and major high­ways, you are quick to spot your favourite Ghanaian snack in various shapes and sizes, ported by different individuals, both young and old and of diverse backgrounds. Amusingly, the very famished is certain of a quick refill even in a moving vehicle with a supplement of chilled water or a soft drink on your way to your final destina­tion per your pocket.

Just like our snacks, our staple foods convey an equally bold statement. Like that early morning waakye with all the necessary sides, kenkey with one-third the ocean’s popula­tion or Sunday’s signature fufu swaddled in an “asanka” topped up with various cuts of meat. Are you not already craving your favourite?

I may have understood the term ‘food’ in basic school, as anything we eat or drink. However, further advance­ment of studies elaborates more on its ability to support growth, repair worn out tissues and regulate body processes amongst others. Looking at the vital function of what we consume, you might agree with me that contracting an illness just because you are voracious or want to satisfy your craving is the last thing on your mind. Globally, an estimated 600 million people, or almost one in 10, get sick from contaminated food each year, with 420,000 deaths annually according to the World Health Organisation. In Ghana, common foodborne ill­nesses such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and viral hepatitis contribute to about 65,000 deaths annually. These figures send a chill down my spine and I think the feeling may be mutual.

On a closer look, it appears we are oblivious of the source of many of our mouthwater­ing street snacks. Yes! Those fried chips or pastries left in the open to cool down before being packaged, the deshelled eggs kept in plastics for long hours awaiting a buyer; perhaps chilli pepper may not be the only topping at this point but Salmonella too. In our quest to consume healthy and balanced meals with little time on our hands, cut fruits is the latest resort, but due to the absence of sanitary facilities for street hawkers, you may be exposing your body to faecal coliforms as well.

Aside the Herculean task of moving through large crowds every other Saturday to pur­chase foodstuff for the week, glaring sights catch my attention every single time. O yes, your guess may be good as mine; foodstuff placed on the bare floor when the alternative of a decent table is not too hard to visualise, days old processed cow hides (wele) in large pans constantly being baptised with contaminated water by their vendors, ‘frighteningly red’ cured meat portraying the brightness of their colouring agents (whether or not, these colouring agents are food grade safe remains a debate for another day) and the greatest canker of them all, rotten vege­tables, most especially tomatoes packed in receptacles awaiting their regular clienteles. I once quizzed and found out these cheap mouldy tomatoes are bought by some owners of big eateries for economic advan­tage. O Mother Ghana!

It is intriguing to note that where food is sold both raw and cooked remain some of the grubbiest places in Ghana; seashores, market places, public school canteens, and roadside eateries. May I Iterate, foods sold by filthy gutters do not have any unique flavour profile but may be the reason for your next admission to the hospital, cooked meals that are not very hot enough do not deserve a travel through your alimentary canal and purchasing mouldy or rotten foodstuff at the market­place due to the price cut, is not an economically wise decision as the repercussions of your actions in the near future may even be more costly.

Food borne illnesses are caused by consuming contam­inated foods or beverages with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances such as heavy metals. They encompass a wide range of illnesses from diarrhoea, typhoid, and cholera to cancers robbing individuals of normal living sometimes for days or weeks and in rare instances for longer periods or even a lifetime, an example may be Botulism; a rare poisoning caused by toxins produced by Clostridium Botulinum which attacks the nervous system. Clostridium just like other food pathogens cannot be seen, smelt or tasted but the small­est amount consumed can be deadly with common sources in Improperly canned or fer­mented foods.

With the emergence of ready to eat snacks and convenient street foods, there is an alarm­ing trend; over dependence on single use plastics. Sadly, keep­ing very hot foods in these plas­tic bags and Styrofoam packs are the most preferred options. Aside their use for takeout meals, some vendors even wrap foods such as Ga and Fante kenkey in them before boiling. The ramifications are bizarre, and from numerous research conducted a spike in infertility, diabetes and hypertension is expected due to the leaching of BPA and phthalates from the plastics into the foods. The estimated number of times one can contract all these diseases as a result of exposure to food in hot plastics is unknown but the avoidance of it is the best alternative. Vacuum flasks, BPA free reusable plastics and paper bags should be the standard for containing hot food, the next time you purchase meals.

Indeed, we have a couple of regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drugs Authority and The Ghana Standards Authority with the key mandate of regu­larising the food space. Howev­er, consumers equally have to be a lot more vigilant with the foods they purchase from street vendors, marketplaces and eat­eries. Many food borne illnesses are avoidable and necessity is laid on the consumer to ensure due diligence at all times.

BY MAAME LAMPTEY

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