Food safety is everyone's business

Saturday, October 16, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 11)

By Rebecca Kwei
The world celebrates World Food Day today on the theme, “United Against Hunger”.
Food is very essential for the survival of the human race and the recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) indicating that there are more than one billion people around the world who suffer from hunger every day is worrying.
According to experts, despite the significance of agriculture as the major factor in the economies of many developing countries, that sector is often starved of investment. In particular, foreign aid to agriculture has displayed drastic declines over the past 20 years.
And who bears the brunt? Women and children. It is important to stress that when women are empowered to receive the same levels of education, experience and farm inputs that their male counterparts receive, their yields will increase and there will be plenty for all.
Without belittling the theme for this year’s celebration, however, my focus will be on food safety, since consuming unsafe foods results in high disease burden, poor nutritional status, low productivity, limited markets and weak economies.
Additionally, scarcity of food can force people to consume whatever food is available, even if it is unsafe or contaminated.
Just take a cursory look at the environment at most food joints, especially those just beside gutters. Doesn’t it give you the chills? Interestingly, those are the foods we enjoy most, but the consequences can be devastating.
As part of activities to mark World Food Day in Ghana, a forum on food safety was held in Accra.
Giving figures on Ghanaians suffering each year from serious food-borne diseases, the FAO Regional Representative in Africa, Ms Maria Helena Morias Semedo, said the total number of outpatient cases reported with food-borne diseases in Ghana was 420,000 per year, with an annual death rate estimated at 65,000 and total costs to the economy at $69 million.
She said other figures gave a total number of 84,000 deaths per year, with 25 per cent being children under five.
These figures are alarming and they could be more, taking into account those that are not reported. Improving food safety is an essential element for achieving food security which exists when people have adequate access to sufficient and safe food.
Women are mainly in charge of preparing food at home. Therefore, it is important that food safety education is provided continuously in order to have a positive impact.
Food safety requires correct handling, from production through consumption. Poor food-handling practices in the home kitchen are thought to cause a significant number of food- borne illnesses.
For most women, there are a lot of process they go through while handling food, oblivious of the fact that they may be modes of contaminating foods.
Let’s take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts of safe food handling by experts.
It is important that you wash your hands before and after handling food. Also, wash them after using the bathroom or changing diapers. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables by rinsing them well with running water. If possible, use two cutting boards — one for fresh produce and the other for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Otherwise, be sure to wash the cutting board with hot, soapy water between each use. You can also wash your knives and cutting boards in the dishwasher to disinfect them. Bag raw meat, poultry and fish separately from other food items.
Make sure the food items you buy are in good condition. Refrigerated food should be cold to the touch. Frozen foods should be solid. Canned goods should not be dented, cracked or bulging. Produce should appear fresh. Meat should have a good colour and be firm to the touch.
Food packaging labels provide information on when to use the food and how to store it. Reading food labels and following safety instructions will reduce your chances of becoming ill with food poisoning.
When in doubt, throw it out. If you are not sure whether a food is safe, don't eat it. Re-heating food that is contaminated will not make it safe. Don't taste suspicious food. It may smell and look fine but still may not be safe to eat.
Although it is women who handle food mostly, either at home or at the markets, food safety is everyone’s business — from government, farmers to husbands and children. As the Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Board, Dr Stephen K. Opuni, put it at the forum, “Political commitment is fundamental to addressing majority of the food safety challenges. From producers to policy makers to consumers, food safety is everybody’s responsibility.”
What is needed is a lot of education on food safety, since, on a daily basis, the public faces many dangers and hazards which are food related.
More important is the point made by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, that “it is unfortunate that in our part of the world routine laboratory examinations are not done by individuals to enable them to know their health status and the extent to which food-borne diseases are affecting them, thereby resulting in low productivity. The economy thus suffers, as money would have to be invested in the treatment of such food-borne diseases and several hours lost while the victim recuperates.”