SCHOOL FEEDING COOKS UNDERGO TRAINING (PAGE 29, SEPT 23, 2010)

SIXTY (60) cooks working under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) in Tamale and the Savelugu/Nanton District have undergone training in food safety, nutrition and environmental sanitation.
This was to enable them to improve the nutritional quality of their meals and observe higher standards of hygiene and food safety so as to avoid contaminating the food they provide, since that could have adverse effects on the health of the children.
The training was organised by the Civil Society Platform (CSP) on the GSFP in collaboration with the GSFP secretariat, Ghana Health Service, Food and Drugs Board and the assemblies.
The Chairperson of the CSP, Ms Adama Jehanfo, told the Daily Graphic that the training of the caterers and cooks formed part of measures to address the gaps in the implementation of the GSFP.
She said the main goal of the programme was to provide safe and nutritious food to children to promote their growth and combat hunger, adding that this objective would not be met if the caterers provided food that was contaminated and low in nutrition.
“It is for this reason that, we are training them and building their capacity to cook in a safe environment and with the right ingredients,” she explained.
Ms Jehanfo further indicated that the cooks would undergo medical examination to determine their health status. She said this was being done because under the GSFP guidelines, all the caterers and cooks were supposed to be certified fit, physically and mentally.
Making a presentation on Environmental and Personal Hygiene, the Community Development Manager for New Energy, Mr Wumbei Abdulai, noted that the food provided by the cooks could be contaminated in many ways, such as using unsafe water, cooking in an unsanitary environment or the lack of personal hygiene.
He, therefore, entreated the cooks to be mindful of the type of water they use in cooking, stressing that if the cooks were unable to source pipe-borne water and were compelled to rely on other sources, like dams, they should purify the water before use.
Mr Abdulai also cautioned the cooks to stay clear of human faecal matter by avoiding cooking in filthy environments, discouraging open defecation and observing high standards of personal hygiene, such as regular hand-washing.
He admonished district assemblies and other institutions to work towards providing water and sanitation facilities to the beneficiary schools to enable the cooks and children to observe hygienic practices.