Promoting retail food safety programme in Ghana: Addressing the Takoradi cholera outbreak

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), foodborne diseases affect millions of people annually, leading to a wide range of health problems, from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to severe life-threatening conditions. 

An estimated 600 million people worldwide get sick from eating contaminated food and 420,000 of them pass away each year. In low-and middle-income nations, contaminated food costs US$110 billion annually in lost productivity and medical costs.

These illnesses are primarily caused by harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites or by chemicals, toxins and environmental contaminants that are present in food or water.

The adverse effects of foodborne illnesses can be severe, especially for vulnerable populations, including young children, the elderly, pregnant women and individuals with weakened immune systems.

Symptoms typically include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fever, ranging from mild to life-threatening, leading to long-term health issues such as kidney failure, neurological disorders and even death.

Outbreak

In January 2023, there was a foodborne illness outbreak that caused the death of five people including a pregnant woman and a lotto vendor and left 40 people hospitalised. This outbreak happened after eating a popular meal known as waakye, bought from a food joint at the Oyibi Bush Canteen Junction in Accra.

In December 2024, the city of Takoradi experienced a cholera outbreak with 1,741 reported cases. Sixteen people died as a result of the outbreak. Its etiology was believed to be linked to the consumption of contaminated vegetables.

This incident has once again highlighted the critical need for robust food safety practices, particularly in the retail sector. In response to such challenges, it is imperative to promote a comprehensive retail food safety programme that prioritises awareness, training, community engagement and effective surveillance and monitoring.

This programme should be developed in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Food safety

Raising awareness of food safety among consumers, retailers and food handlers is an essential first step in preventing foodborne diseases. Given the recent Takoradi outbreak, it is consuming contaminated produce, particularly vegetables that may be improperly washed or stored.

Awareness campaigns should be rolled out through various channels including radio, television social media, and community outreach, focusing on the importance of proper handling, storage and washing of vegetables and fruits before consumption.

Local leaders and health professionals can play a crucial role in disseminating this information at the grassroots level, ensuring it reaches the wider community.

The next critical step is to train food retailers, vendors and food handlers on best practices for food safety.

The FDA, the GSA and the GHS can partner to organise training workshops and seminars for these stakeholders, focusing on proper cleaning and sanitation of vegetables and produce to prevent contamination from bacteria, especially those found in contaminated water or soil, the importance of separating raw foods from ready-to-eat items to avoid cross-contamination and how to store food at appropriate temperatures and in conditions that reduce the growth of pathogens.

Others can be safe handling practices, including the use of gloves and hand sanitisers, particularly when preparing and selling food and regular refresher courses can help maintain a high standard of food safety practices across retail outlets.

Engagement

Community engagement is a powerful tool in building a culture of food safety. In communities where foodborne diseases such as cholera are prevalent, it is crucial to involve the community in proactive food safety measures.

Collaborating with local authorities, health professionals and community groups can help ensure that people are empowered to act in preventing outbreaks, educating the public on how to identify unsafe food practices and reporting food safety violations.

By fostering a sense of responsibility and ownership, communities are more likely to take part in collective efforts to improve food safety standards.

Also, there should be a robust surveillance and monitoring systems to track potential sources of foodborne illnesses and identify high-risk areas where outbreaks are more likely to occur are imperative.

The FDA, the GSA and the GHS should collaborate to strengthen inspection and monitoring mechanisms in retail food establishments, particularly in markets, food stalls and farms that supply produce.

There should also be routine inspection of food vendors to ensure they comply with food safety standards, testing food samples for contamination, especially during periods following an outbreak and active monitoring of the supply chain, particularly fresh produce, to ensure safety from farm to retail as well as a real-time reporting system for any foodborne illness cases, enabling quick response and containment.

Retail food programme

Successful implementation of a retail food safety programme will rely heavily on collaboration among key stakeholders. The FDA, the GSA and the GHS must work together to ensure that food safety standards are effectively enforced.

Joint task forces can be established to conduct regular inspections and audits of food safety practices and penalties for non-compliance should be clearly defined to encourage adherence to safety standards.

The recent cholera outbreak in Takoradi serves as a wake-up call for the urgent need to enhance food safety practices in Ghana, particularly in retail settings, focusing on awareness, training, community engagement and surveillance.

By collaborating with institutions such as the FDA, the GSA and the GHS, Ghana can strengthen its food safety framework, protect public health and ensure that foodborne illnesses such as cholera become a thing of the past. 

*The writer is a Graduate Student (Environmental Health), the University of Washington, USA.
E-mail: tims19@uw.edu