The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is rallying stakeholders to safeguard Ghana’s land and water resources, crucial for maintaining national food safety standards. The Authority stresses the importance of collaborative efforts to preserve the safety and quality of food sources, ensuring high-quality food production for the populace.
Speaking at a public awareness campaign in Cape Coast to commemorate World Food Safety Day, Francisca Obeng, Central Regional Head of FDA, emphasized the significance of food safety. “Food plays a pivotal role in our cultural identity, fostering unity. Imagine if harmful substances in our food undermine this unity,” she said, highlighting the need for clean and safe food production and preparation practices.
The event, themed “Food Safety: Preparing for the unexpected,” aimed to underscore the correlation between current food production practices and long-term well-being. The World Health Organization reports that 600 million people globally fall ill annually from consuming contaminated food, resulting in 420,000 deaths.
Obeng stressed that food safety is a top priority, requiring collaboration from governments, producers, business operators, and consumers to ensure a safe food supply chain from farm to table. She noted that food represents Ghana’s cultural heritage and unity, emphasizing that “our lives are significantly influenced by what we consume, which can either nourish or pose a risk to our health.”
