�Put Local Foods On Your Menus�

Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare (Mrs.), Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has called on tourism operators, especially managers of star-rated hotels, restaurants, etc to consider putting Ghanaian indigenous foods on their menus. She says this is particularly important because Ghanaians and visitors alike are getting increasingly attracted to local Ghanaian cuisines. �I must mention that doing so will also ensure that we keep our hardworking farmers constantly in business and also provide security for Ghanaian businesses. The Minister made the call when she launched the Health and Critical Analysis Training Programme by the Flair Training Institute in Accra. According to the Minister �the handling of food safety issues in the hospitality industry is critical to the survival of the sector, as various unhygienic foods and other forms of contamination of daily consumables have resulted in a number of health hazards around the world. Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare commended Flair Catering for its initiative, noting that if concerns of food safety are not addressed in a coherent, consistent and collaborative manner, the livelihoods of vendors and the health of consumers may be at risk. She was full of praise for the enormous contribution the school had made towards improving service standards in the industry, and the offering of employable skills and opportunities to the youth and women since its establishment. She announced that her Ministry, through the Ghana Tourism Authority, would clamp down on operators in the industry who were not conforming to standards, including that of food safety. On her part, the Executive Chairman of Flair Catering Institute, Mrs. Barbara BaetaBentsiEnchill, said her passion for the introduction of the programme was motivated by her acknowledgement of the little or no concern given to food safety issues. She said the project, funded by the Social Development Fund, is a collaborative one with Accra Polytechnic.