Watch what you eat at Xmas

The Christmas euphoria is gathering momentum with the feast day just four days away.

Food items and other household wares have been displayed in all corners of our cities so that consumers can easily have access to whatever they need for their homes.

The craze to buy these items and the best of such items have often been a challenge to many because of heavy vehicular and human traffic. Many commuters have even started walking long distances to the markets because of the gridlock in the city, especially in Accra and Kumasi.

This is where many of us become victims of circumstances as we do not pay attention to detail. We end up purchasing goods, especially canned foods and drinks, without even checking if those items are expired or not.

Some of us even get home to detect that the cans containing our cherished foods are either rusted or leaking. But instead of discarding such products we go ahead to use them.

All these pose health hazards to us. We may not have an immediate effect but in the long term, our health and that of other consumers become challenged.

It was not for nothing that the Graphic Communications Group Limited embarked on its safety and security campaign from July this year with the view of keeping all of us on our toes.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has specific regulations guiding the sale of canned products and other household items to safeguard our lives and that of our families. But more often than not, the desire to get products at a cheap price and in large quantities make us forget about some of these guidelines.

That is why the Daily Graphic wishes to remind all of us that food safety should be paramount to us, especially at this time of the season, when we do not cook only for ourselves but our families and friends.

It is either not in our DNA to check some of these things or it is a matter of anything goes. Even in our supermarkets, we visit the shelves to pick items we need for our homes without checking on the shelf life of the products.

For instance, the FDA Guidelines require that all products must be labelled only in English but do we really check the products to ensure that the labelling is right? How many of us look out for expiry dates of products before purchasing or even the manufacturer’s name and address on the product?

We have all in one way or another fallen victim to these omissions in purchasing products on the markets.

In the spirit of the season, the Daily Graphic encourages Ghanaians to take their time and check some of these details be it foodstuff or drinks and other packaged products.

We also entreat consumers not to patronise products that have been exposed to the sun or stored in unacceptable heat environments, purchase any canned product that has rusted or buy canned products that are dented or show signs of leakage.

The Daily Graphic cherishes the lives of Ghanaians and desires that we enjoy the best of the season.

We also need you alive for the year 2020 so that together we can build Ghana as a united people with a common destiny.

The key to your safety is in your hands, therefore, stay alert. Remember that a spill or a slip can lead you to hospital.