Egg traders at the Kantamanto Market in the central business district of Accra have undergone a one-day training on egg standards and the benefits of egg consumption.

The training was organised by the Ghana National Egg Campaign Secretariat (GNECS) to enable the traders to understand and differentiate between edible and non-edible eggs to obtain the optimum nutritional benefits of eggs.


Training

A media release issued in Accra said the Chief Executive Officer of Meannan Foods, Ms Charity Annan Adupong, who was the facilitator of the training, explained that the inside of eggs that appeared normal could contain a germ called salmonella that could cause sickness, especially if egg was eaten raw or slightly cooked.

“There are many eggs on the market that are affected by salmonella and many other bacteria, and these are contributing to the diseases affecting people. Most of these women are unaware of these bacteria, but the training has enlightened them to properly handle the eggs,” she said.

She said the traders needed to understand that they did not have to sell unwholesome eggs to the innocent public just to make money.

The egg sellers called on the GNECS to advocate on their behalf for poultry farmers to add extra crates of eggs to their consignment to cater for damaged ones.

They said due to the nature of the roads, some of the eggs got damaged in the process of being transported across long distances, and that it came at a cost to the traders.


Grading

Ms Adupong mentioned that the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), with support from other stakeholders, had developed the Ghana Egg Standards, which applied to the primary production, sorting, grading, storing, transport, processing, and distribution of eggs in shell and egg products.

Explaining the different types of grades for eggs, she said they were graded both by shell condition and interior quality, and were grouped by size.

Eggshells are inspected for cleanliness, texture, shape and lack of crack.

Grades AA and A eggs must have clean shells, while small stains are allowed on Grade B shells.

She cautioned the egg sellers not to take the standards for granted because they could lose the sector completely to egg importers thereby and go out of business.

“There was the need for the women to have a united front to ensure that the standards are enforced,” she said.

Ms Adupong advised the women to observe adequate spacing in between stored eggs to allow ventilation, and to avoid covering the eggs.

She also encouraged them to use plastic pallets in storing the eggs rather than leaving them on the bare floor.