The Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly (AEMA) in the Greater Accra Region has destroyed over 200 kilograms of contaminated maize flour meant for the preparation of the local dish, ‘tuo zaafi, for safety.
The environmental health officers seized the contaminated flour and properly disposed of it. They were informed that it had been dried on unprotected plastic sheets, mixed with sand, on pavements along the Kanda-Kawukudi Highway.
The flour had also been dried for eight hours daily on the pavement, with some angry pedestrians walking through and sometimes spitting on it. They are also exposed to smoke particles from vehicle exhaust fumes and worn-out truck tire materials. The Acting Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Hamdawaiy Sheriff, said three people had been held as suspects.
He said, “Their actions are dangerous to public health and safety. And they will surely receive the necessary punishment as prescribed by the by-laws.” Mr. Sheriff said that though an officer was nearly attacked by three ‘machomen’, the office was determined to stop the practice. He urged community members to inform themselves about such activities and play their watchdog roles well.
The Greater Accra Regional Environmental Health Director, Mr. Douglas Tagoe, who had earlier directed the Municipal Office to destroy the flour, said the contaminated flour, when consumed, could cause problems with the lungs, kidneys, and liver.
“How can food handlers sell smelly and fly-infested drains with executive officers, scholars, and intelligent adults scrambling for positions in queues to buy ‘death’ for themselves?" he asked.
He said the Public Health Act 851 of 2012 and the District Assembly By-Laws frowned on such acts and that offenders should be sanctioned.
Tuo zaafi flour being dried
Mr. Tagoe said citizens needed to be cautious of all health and environmental safety measures before buying food outside, particularly from food vendors around choked drain He said similar practices were ongoing at the various beaches, with some fishmongers drying fish by the roadside, and said it must stop. Mr. Tagoe noted that in farming areas, pepper and other vegetables were also dried on highways and sold to unsuspecting customers.
He urged the populace to avoid such foodstuffs and report the practices to the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Environmental Health Offices for action. Before the destruction of the floor, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concerns about the practice and urged the perpetrators to stop drying the substance on the pavement, but they shrugged off the caution.
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