Day: December 17, 2023

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the Central Region has urged the public to be wary of buying and consuming poisonous products during the Christmas festive season in the name of promotions and cheap prices.

It warned that many products which were near expiry were often dumped onto the market at incredibly low prices for the unsuspecting public during the season.

Madam Francisca Obeng, the Principal Regulatory Officer, FDA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, therefore, entreated the public to buy products only approved by the Authority.

She urged them to take responsibility for their health and personal safety by checking the expiry and manufacturing dates and avoiding bloated and dented products.

‘It is also very important to pay attention to the storage conditions of the products; ensure that the food you are buying is not directly under the sun or on the floor or in any other unwholesome condition,’ she said.

Madam Obeng said consumers of ready-to-eat foods should look out for the Food H
ygiene Permits and Street Food Vending Permits of the sellers to ensure they were buying from safe sources.

‘If you have to buy food from the street, be sure that the vendor is medically certified, keeps good hygiene principles and has a hand washing station with a neat environment,’ she said.

Meanwhile, she said the FDA was still working relentlessly to ensure public health safety through market surveillance, public education, and routine inspections.

Touting some achievements of the Authority in the region this year, Madam Obeng said her office disposed of about eight tonnes of expired, unwholesome, and unregistered products at the Nkanfoa Landfill site in Cape Coast.

She said the Authority was able to meet its target by registering more products through the Progressive Licensing Scheme for small-scale and cottage-sized businesses.

‘We also increased visibility in the market by ensuring an increase in market surveillance and more encounters with the public to educate them on food and drug safety,’ she
added.

Going forward, she assured that they would continue to encourage local cottage and small-scale industries to register their products with the FDA.

‘The FDA will intensify the provision of industrial and technical support to industries while ensuring the continuous flow of information regarding our regulatory products,’ Madam Obeng added.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has urged the public to prioritize food safety to prevent foodborne illnesses as they prepare to celebrate Christmas.

It said festive/holiday season was a time when family and friends come together to joy, bond, reminisce and attend various events in celebration and that during these periods, food takes centre stage as people gather in homes and various eating places.

‘While festive seasons are joyous occasions, it is imperative to prioritize food safety to prevent foodborne illnesses that could potentially prevent the occasion from being a good and memorable one.’

This was in a statement titled: ‘How food safety can ensure a wonderful festive/holiday season; Christmas: The FDA Perspective,’ and copied to the Ghana News Agency.

It noted that unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or toxins can cause an array of diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers and sometimes even death.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated six h
undred million (almost 1 in 10) people fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths around the world.

The FDA said it had put various measures in place to ensure that foods prepared and sold in restaurants, markets and shops were safe and of the right quality for consumption.

‘However, the responsibility lies with every individual to ensure that they practice healthy food safety habits to avoid contaminations by confirming that foods are clean, properly cooked and stored.

It mentioned some of the ways to ensure food safety at home as ensuring that fresh produce or ingredients (fruits and vegetables) and food contact surfaces for example cooking utensils and chopping boards/surfaces are thoroughly cleaned.

‘Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling food. Germs that can cause food poisoning can survive in many places and spread around your kitchen. Wash utensils, cutting boards, dishes, and countertops with hot soapy water after each use.

‘Ri
nse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water to remove any dirt or contaminants. After touching raw meat, poultry, or seafood, wash your hands thoroughly before touching other foods, utensils, or kitchen appliances,’ the statement urged.

It said raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs should be separated from ready-to-eat food when shopping, during preparation and storage to avoid cross-contamination while using separate cutting boards and utensils for raw and cooked foods.

‘Cook food thoroughly and at the right temperature. Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs that can make you sick. Bring sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil before serving, and always remember to eat hot foods hot, and cold foods cold.

‘Some people prefer to eat together as a group, but, if possible, use different dishes and utensils to avoid the introduction and spread of contaminants from one person to another,’ it stated

It called on the public to plan and buy only what they need and a
void overcrowding their refrigerators and freezers, as this could affect the temperature and spoil the food faster and that they should always look out for expiration dates on prepackaged foods and discard any that are past their prime.

‘Do not buy canned or tin foods that are dented, bloated, or rusted and read labels for ingredients, usage instructions, potential allergens, and safety precautions,’ the statement added.

It advised the citizenry that when eating out at restaurants, chop bars, fast food joints, weddings, and parties they should ensure that caterers have FDA’s Food Hygiene Permits, adding that street food vendors should have Street Food Vending Permits.

‘This will tell you that they have fulfilled all food safety and hygiene requirements, and the FDA has certified them to prepare and sell food to the public.

‘If Food Vending Permits are not visibly displayed, ask for them to confirm that the regulatory authorities have checked the system and practices that the food is normally taken through
and have guaranteed that Safe Food Handling Practices are observed.

‘Ensure that the general surrounding of the food is clean and that the one serving the food appears clean and handles the food in a hygienic manner,’ it stated.

The statement said no one could judge food’s safety by its appearance alone and that ‘Food may look fresh, smell good, and taste delicious, but it may still contain harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances that can cause foodborne illnesses.

‘Food can also become contaminated at any point during production, processing, storage, distribution, preparation, or serving. Therefore, it is important to always follow food safety practices to prevent food poisoning and ensure food quality.’

It said food safety was an essential component of food security and that the festive season was a time for celebration and a time to prioritize the health and well-being of our loved ones ‘by ensuring that our food is safe from farm to fork and following these precautions, we can pre
vent food wastage and losses and protect our health and well-being.

‘A little attention to cleanliness, storage, cooking and serving can go a long way in ensuring a memorable and safe celebration for everyone.’
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Anglican Diocese of Tema in the Church of the Province of West Africa (CPWA) has been inaugurated with a call on members and clergy to build the Diocese on a foundation of prayer.

‘Prayer is the key for growth,’ The Right Reverend Solomon Scott-Manga, the Bishop of Bo, in Sierra Leone said at the inaugural service at the SS Alban and Mathew Anglican Church in Tema Community One.

The colourful inaugural service, celebrated by The Most Rev’d Dr Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the CPWA and Bishops of the Anglican Internal Province of Ghana, had clergy across the Anglican Diocese of Accra and members in attendance.

The carving out of the Tema Diocese from the Anglican Diocese of Accra had become necessary due to the growing numbers of Parishes in the sprawling cosmopolitan city of Tema and its environs.

It is to advance the vision of the Anglican Church of Ghana in church planting and evangelism.

The creation of the Tema Diocese brings to 13, the number of Dioceses in th
e Internal Province of Ghana (IpG).

Rt. Rev’d Scott-Manga, in a homily on the theme: ‘The Presence of God in your Journey’, urged members to seek the face of the Lord through constant prayer as that was a sure bet for their growth as a new Diocese.

The Bishop, who likened the Diocese to a football team, said it required all members of the team, members and clergy alike, playing their respective roles in order to succeed and make tremendous strides.

He said the great commission as instituted by Jesus for Christians to reach out, make disciples and evangelise, was key in ensuring that the church was built on a solid foundation.

‘Evangelism is key, but the lifestyle of the clergy and members of the Diocese can bring people to Christ and the church which will increase its finances as a new Diocese,’ the Bishop of Bo said.

The Rt. Rev’d Sylvanus Mensa Torto, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, in his Statutory Declaration, said ‘the intriguing aim of the creation of new Diocese is for the effective growt
h, promotion and propagation of the gospel.’

He said the readiness and zeal of the financial capability of the ecclesiastical area of the Tema Diocese was viable as the area had great financial potential and was well-resourced capable of taking care of the new Diocese.

‘The Five-Year Composite Budget shows the Diocese can be financially sustainable,’ he stressed.

Bishop Torto said, ‘As the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Accra and with the full support of the Clergy and Laity of the Diocese, I declare to put shoulder to work for the successful prosecution of the creation of Tema Diocese to the ultimate glory of God and benefit of the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa and Anglican Communion worldwide.’

The Most Rev’d Dr Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, The Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the CPWA, who declared the Tema Diocese officially inaugurated, said the new Diocese of Tema shall, until the promulgation of its own Constitution and Canons, use the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese of
Accra.

Reading provisions of the constitution of the CPWA, he said Article 18(1)(1)(a) provided for the formation of a new Diocese with the consent of the Provincial Synod, by the division of an existing Diocese.

He said under Article 18 (4)(2), of the constitution, no new Diocese shall be formed unless it contained at least five parishes within the boundary of the new Diocese.

As required, the Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the CPWA said he received a written proposal for the division of the Diocese of Accra by the Diocesan Bishop after consideration by the synod in accordance with Canon Six of the Constitution.

Archbishop Ben-Smith indicated that due process was followed to the later in the creation of the new Tema Diocese after the creation of the Nkoranza Diocese weeks after.
Source: Ghana News Agency