In its latest efforts to improve food hygiene and safety practices, the Eastern Regional Office of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended its educational outreach to millers in the New Juaben South Municipality.

The programme was designed with the objective of providing millers with the essential knowledge and skills required to follow established hygienic practices and ensure the production of safe and high-quality food products.

By providing this comprehensive training and guidance, the FDA seeks to promote a culture of food safety within Ghana’s milling industry, ultimately safeguarding public health and consumer confidence.

Ms. Anita Owusu-Kuffour, Eastern Regional Acting Head of FDA, reminded the traditional millers of their role in the food chain, highlighting the importance of maintaining quality and safety throughout the whole food chain.

She said the training followed many lapses the FDA had discovered in their operations through interactions and visits to various mill facilities.

She said knowledge of food safety was critical to their work, which requires the adoption of conditions and practices that preserve the quality of food to prevent contamination and foodborne illness.

The participants, who came from Koforidua and its catchment areas, were taken through storage receptacles, maintenance of equipment, and basic hygienic practices.

Traditional millers often operate a mill machine to grind legumes, vegetables, and grains to make flour and the rest.

Ms. Owusu-Kuffour explained that milling plants or machines should be constructed from food-grade materials, and the food contact areas of the plant should not be painted but must be kept clean by washing them every day after use.

She also said storage receptacles and production aids should be made of impervious materials, and that when all these measures were put in place, many diseases and health conditions could be prevented or controlled.

She encouraged them to often observe personal hygiene, including thorough washing of hands with soap under running water and changing of working apparel.

She said mill workers were required to provide hand washing facilities at the entrance of their mill machines, as was done during the COVID-19 period.

"Food safety is our collective responsibility," she said, and entreated millers to ensure wholesome raw materials were brought to their operation centers.

"For an organization or an individual to implement a course at a place, there is a need to seek the owner's concern, and that is why we invited both of you (owners and operators) of such facilities so that you make sure the implementation of the knowledge acquired here becomes easy," she added.

Mr. Samuel Adjei, the owner of a traditional mill facility in Koforidua, expressed his gratitude to the FDA for the training programme and assured them that they would follow all hygienic protocols to guarantee food safety.

He said regarding sanitation that operators of mill facilities were doing their best to clean their premises, but sometimes community members failed to support sanitation practices.

He also reminded the public that sanitation was a collective responsibility to rid the environment of filth for human safety and proper healthcare.

Officers of the FDA are expected to follow up with the various milling centers to ensure strict adherence to FDA food hygiene guidance.