Concern raised about operation of "check check

Accra, April 19, GNA - The rate at which fried rice vendors, popularly called "check check" are springing up near gutters, toilets and other unsanitary places in the metropolis has put the health of the public who patronise their services at high risk.

A lot of people have expressed concern about the preparation and handling Of the food and blamed the situation on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for not enforcing its bye-laws to stop such food vendors from selling at unhygienic places in the metropolis.

When contacted on Wednesday by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Mark Abraham Adotey, officer in-charge of Food Hygiene of the Metro Public Health Department of the AMA, also blamed the situation on too much indiscipline in the system, adding, "our outfit had organised food programmes for vendors to ensure that health regulations and standards are complied with".

He said, "we have put in place stringent measures against uncertified food vendors to ensure that food prepared for human consumption are not contaminated or do not produced adverse health effects".

"We have put in place a mechanism to ensure that any person who was going to sell food must come for registration and especially screening by a medical doctor, yet most of them operate at night and more importantly outside our normal working hours", he said. Mr Adotey warned of the dangers of eating unwholesome food and advised the public to simply reject the services of food vendors operating under such condition in the metropolis.

On how to ensure that the vendors obey basic environmental hygiene, he assured the public that the sub-metros have been directed to arrest and prosecute any such person found selling, especially without a health certificate or at unsanitary places at nights.