Students from the Department of Nutrition and Food science from the University of Ghana have educated the university community on how to ensure the safety of food and prevent food wastage on campus.
They were speaking on Campus Exclusive on the need for students to ensure that their food is safe in line with the World Food Safety Day’s celebrations.
Students on campus tend to purchase food delivered to them on campus, which raises concerns on safety of the food they consume.
One of the students, Charity Adu Owusuaa cautioned other students on campus who patronize food from restaurants and other shops to check the safety seals on the packaged food after delivery.
She also advised these students to make inquiries on the restaurants they are buying food from to ensure that their food is coming from a safe place.
“So we [students] prefer delivery these days. And so, when your delivery guy comes in, make sure that your food is intact. The seal of the food must not be broken loose. We also have to take note of cross-contamination due to transportation and other things. Let’s research these restaurants. Let’s make sure that they are high-quality restaurants that we are sure can deliver safe food to us. That way, we can ensure that we are eating safe foods.”
Also, addressing the issue of food wastage on campus where most students dispose of their extra provisions and groceries at the end of the semester, another student from the department, Antoinette Awurama Owusu suggested portion control as well as sharing extra provisions with friends and student missionaries as measures to avoid food wastage.
She added that by using portion control, students also have the opportunity to regulate their weight.
“When it comes to food waste, we advise to practice portion control. It has to do with serving what you can eat. Sometimes what helps is to get smaller bowls and smaller plates so that the food doesn’t look so small in the big plates for you to feel like adding more. It also helps you to maintain a healthy weight and reduce weight.”
She also highlighted how sharing of food can create bonds among friends.
“Sometimes when it’s close to the end of the semester, some people have their lockers full of food and they don’t know what to do with it. Sometimes they leave it, sometimes they throw it away. So instead of doing that, you realise that some of these campus churches have gone missions, and outreach programs. You can donate some of those items to them so that they can share with other people. You can also share food with your friends to prevent leftovers. Sharing food with friends has proven to be an effective way of bonding with people.”
The World Food Safety Day is marked on 7th June every year to draw attention on food standards that help ensure safe consumption of food. This year’s celebration is themed, “Food standards save lives”.
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Story by |Esther Esenam Ofori | univers.ug.edu.gh
