Accra, Nov. 25, GNA - The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) on Wednesday organised a programme for the pupils of some selected primary schools in the La community on the importance of food safety. The programme, which is on pilot basis in the Greater Accra Region is covering 10 selected schools that include Yahousa Primary, La wireless Primary and St. Banabas Primary schools. Addressing the pupils in Accra, Madam Maria Lovelace-Johnson, Head of the Food Safety Management Unit of the FDB said the board chose pupils for the programme in order to inculcate in them food safety consciousness and to be able to educate their parents and peers on the subject. "We decided to shift our attention to school children because we would want to imbibe in them, the need to ensure food safety at a tender age," she said.

She urged the pupils to always ensure that the food they consume are well handled, well cooked and not contaminated in order to avoid food borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, cholera and headaches. Madam Lovelace-Johnson educated the pupils on the importance of washing their hands with soap and asked them to buy food from clean environments to avoid contaminated food.

Ms. Millicent Kaba, Assistant Regulatory Officer, FDB, called on the children to endeavour to separate raw or uncooked food such as meat and fish from all cooked foods in order to avoid contamination. She said uncooked foods usually contain germs, which could cause illness. Ms. Kaba also urged the pupils to look out for expiry dates on canned and bottled foods before purchasing them and also report people who such food products to the police or the FDB.