Assembly to sanction food vendors for refusing screening

Mr Samuel Kena, the Kwahu Afram Plains North District Chief Executive, said the Assembly has put in place stringent measures to send to court recalcitrant food vendors who refuse to screen by the District's Environmental Health Units.

He said the Assembly was pursuing the option of prosecution at the law courts and those found guilty will pay high fines ranging from Gh¢200.00 to Gh¢600.00.

Speaking during the third ordinary meeting held at Donkorkrom in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District in the Eastern Region, the DCE explained that the actions of the Assembly follow complains from the environmental Health Units field officers that, food vendors were not co-operating with the screening exercise.

He said the exercise, which began in January this year, had seen only 608 food vendors screened out of 1,000 vendors registered with the Assembly and said the number had not been encouraging.

Out of the 608 food vendors screened, he indicated that about 60 were detected to have typhoid fever and were accordingly referred to the hospital for treatment.

Mr Kena urged the Assembly members whose communities were beneficiaries of the School Feeding Programme to ensure that the caterers and the cooks were screened.

He, therefore, entreated the Assembly Members to educate and inform food vendors in their respective electoral areas to make themselves available for the screening, failing which those caught would be sent to court to serve as a deterrent to others.