SOUTH DAYI DISTRICT ASSEMBLY ORGANISED A NUTRITION COUNSELLING AND MEDICAL SCREENING FOR FOOD VENDORS

Over 1600 food handlers in South Dayi District at Volta Region of Ghana, have undergone medical screening on Thursday 25^th March 2021 to enable them to promote quality and hygienic food and promote tourism in the district. The exercise, which was organized by the Ghana Health Service and South Dayi District Assembly (SDDA) in collaboration with the Environmental Health Officers, was to ensure that food for human consumption was not contaminated and does not produce adverse health effects.

District Environmental Health Officer Mr. Moses C.K Awude, stated the purpose of the exercise. He explained that, the exercise is meant to organized nutritional training programme side by side with medical screening for the general food handlers or persons engaged in Hospitality Industry and those under the School Feeding Programme.

He further said, one thousand four hundred and seven food handlers was screened, fifty seven of them were under the school feeding programme. Nutritional counseling was also rendered to them by the Nutrition officers focusing on a package of Essential Nutrition Actions (ENAs), Health programs that could improve physical, mental growth and development to enhance productivity and good Health in the District.

Nutritional counseling for food handlers was geared towards the selection of major food nutrients, thus to enhance the consumption of balance diet by the populace

Participant were educated on the importance of nutrition and its effects as Malnutrition can cause permanent, widespread damage to a child’s growth, development, and well-being.

Out of 1600 persons targeted for 2021, one thousand four hundred and four persons were medically screened and at same time were counseled on nutrition.

The table below describes the various nutritional interventions within the District.

He said it had become obvious that a little training for most of our traditional caterers would encourage them to keep their places clean and reduce level of bacteria contaminated in prepared food. The District Revenue officer for South Day also urged the traditional caterers to honour their, tax obligations to enable government to bring development to the people. Mr C.K. Awude, District environmental Health Officer of the SDDA, expressed gratitude to the association and hoped that the food vendors would take the educational programme seriously. He said the SDDA was making everything possible to solve food safety problems in the South Dayi Metropolis, adding that, health officers would go round to assess the impact it had made on the food vendors.

Mr. Awude said the exercise, which was being undertaken by the SDDA  was in the interest of food handlers and the public and urged those who had already gone through the screening to come for their certificates to avoid arrest and prosecution.

GALLERY