Christmas is a season of joy, reunion, and generosity, marked by overflowing tables and lively social gatherings. Across Ghana, families look forward to sharing meals, drinks, and laughter as the year draws to a close.
Yet, beneath the glitter of the festive season lies a recurring and preventable danger: food poisoning.
Year after year, the Christmas and New Year period records a surge in foodborne illnesses, hospitalisations, and, in tragic cases, deaths. This reality demands urgent attention and collective action.
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The recent advisory by the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) could not have come at a more critical time. The Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Emmanuel Allegye-Cudjoe, has cautioned the public to buy meat and other animal products only from approved and hygienic sources.
His warning reflects a familiar seasonal challenge: increased demand for meat often leads to unsafe slaughtering practices, poor handling, and the sale of uninspected animal products, exposing consumers to serious health risks.
Meat, a central feature of Christmas meals, can quickly become a vehicle for disease if sourced or handled improperly. Animals slaughtered outside approved facilities, without veterinary inspection, may carry infections or harmful chemical residues. The consequences range from mild stomach upset to severe food poisoning and long-term health complications.
Dr Allegye-Cudjoe's reminder that "we are what we eat" is not a cliché; it is a public health truth that must guide consumer behaviour, especially during periods of high consumption.
Food poisoning, however, goes beyond meat alone. Improperly prepared meals, poorly stored leftovers, expired canned foods, unsafe water, and contaminated drinks all contribute to the annual spike in illness.
Street food, which thrives during festive seasons, becomes particularly risky when vendors prioritise speed and profit over hygiene. The growing circulation of unregulated local alcoholic beverages, some laced with toxic substances, further compounds the danger.
Hospitals across the country are familiar with the pattern: increased cases of vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and dehydration during the festive period. Health facilities, already under strain, must divert resources to treat preventable illnesses.
Worse still, some families spend Christmas not in celebration but in mourning, victims of contaminated food and drink. These are losses Ghana can ill afford.
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Responsibility for preventing this annual tragedy is shared. Some food vendors compromise basic hygiene standards, handling food and money with the same unwashed hands, reheating meals repeatedly, and storing drinks in unsanitary conditions. At the same time, consumers often abandon caution, purchasing food from filthy environments or consuming products of questionable origin in the spirit of celebration.
This Christmas must be different. Vendors must commit to strict hygiene: clean water, clean hands, clean utensils, and clean cooking environments are non-negotiable. Food must be cooked thoroughly, stored safely, and discarded when no longer fit for consumption.
The Ghanaian Times expects other regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drugs Authority and environmental health officers to intensify inspections to deter unsafe practices.
Consumers, too, must take responsibility. Food that smells strange, looks discoloured, or is sold in dirty surroundings should be avoided. Drinks of unknown origin or suspicious quality should not be consumed. Parents and guardians must be especially vigilant, as children are the most vulnerable to food poisoning.
As the VSD strengthens surveillance systems and stakeholders call for stronger animal health laws, one message stands clear: food safety is a national duty.
Christmas should be a time of life, not loss. As we celebrate, let us eat and drink with care, so that the New Year meets us healthy, alive, and whole.
