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SHC destroys unhealthy food items

Oct 30, 2014, 10:41 AM | Article By: Abdou Rahman Sallah

The public health officeat the Serrekunda Health Centre acting under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare recently conducted a massive destruction exercise of food items, which the office seized from food sellers in the Serrekunda Market and food stores during its daily routine inspection of food establishments.

The event was held at the Serrekunda Health Centre were the Public Health office invited the KMC cleansing services workers, who picked the seized food items and took them to the dumpsite at Bakoteh for destruction.

Gibril Gandoh Baldeh, the public health desk officer at the SK Health Centre, said there were 33 different food items condemned; most of them expired and some were not labelled to show the production or expiry dates.

He said others were either dented or bloating, evidence of poor storage, adding that food items seized were in large quantities and included flour, tomatoe paste, baked beans, biscuits, vinegar, canned drinks, instant juices, among others which were deemed not fit for human consumption.

According to him, as public health officers, they would not relent in their efforts in ensuring that all foods that are paraded for sale metstandards of quality and are risk-free as food consumables.

He said people should stop consuming poisonous foods, and prevent one of the causes of disease.

YassinTouray, a senior nurse in charge of the Serrekunda H/C, said they are located strategically not far from the market, which makes it easier for the public health office to mount regular inspection on the nature of foods being sold in the market.

The presence of the media was considered important, because they would expose the information to the larger public for them to take note, she said.

Businessmen and women or vendors are not much interested in the health of the people; they are only interested in the gain for their businesses, she stated.