and healthy than imported foods

Winneba (CR), Nov. 24, GNA - Mrs Comfort Madah Katumi, Lecturer in Recipe Development, Department of Home Economics, University of Education, Winneba, has asked Ghanaians to eat locally produced food to prolong their life span. She explained that most of the traditional foods were highly nutritious and healthy than imported foods.

Mrs Katumi was speaking to Ghana News Agency in an interview after a day's food exhibition by 98 Level 300 students made up of 96 women and two men of the Department at Winneba. It formed part of the First Semester Examination and afforded them the opportunity to showcase locally prepared dishes from local food recipe.

Mrs Katumi observed that most Ghanaians were not taking locally prepared dishes because they were not well served and asked caterers to improve on their food to make them more attractive. She noted that most of the imported foods were full of additives that contained chemicals not good for the body, and eating food fortified with spices could affect health. "We should patronise traditional dishes prepared with natural spices such as dawadawa, onion and ginger which are chemical-free," she added.

Mrs Katumi pointed out that most of the foreign foods imported into the country, were normally stored for longer periods and had the tendency to pose health hazards. Mrs Ophelia Adekpoju, Head of Department of Home Economics said food security and sufficiency were necessary for national development and urged caterers to be more innovative. She noted that most local food sources were not being utilized to prepare delicious food and stressed the need for caterers to reverse the trend. Mrs Adekpoju advised the students to improve upon their food recipe and introduce them to caterers in the country.