©FAO

In a bid to ensure enhanced food safety and hygiene standards, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has provided training and equipment to women bushmeat traders at Atwemonoms market in Kumasi, as part of efforts to support the implementation of food safety best practices.

The support was provided as part of the Empowering Women in Agriculture Trade (EWAT) project which is a collaboration between FAO and the International Trade Centre (ITC).  

Atwemonom, in the Ashanti Region, is a well-known fresh bushmeat market. The most traded species include the grasscutter, Maxwell's duiker, royal antelope, bushbuck, giant rat, and porcupine. The suppliers are mostly men, but the trade is dominated by women.

Food safety steps include hand washing, keeping market areas clean, using the right equipment to protect foods and keeping them in appropriate storage facilities. The items given to the women traders include ice chests, knives, aprons, bowls, t-shirts, caps and rubber boots.  They were also trained on good hygienic practices (GHPs) and good manufacturing practices (GMPs).

Food safety means better nutrition

The exercise facilitated through the FAO Regional Office for Africa under the Better Nutrition unit was conceptualized after a mapping and profiling of the bushmeat sector in Ghana including, hunters and traders.  The Atwemonom bushmeat market was part of this study and the traders in the market were found to face several challenges regarding the implementation of best practices to prevent contamination of the meat.

At a ceremony to hand over the food safety items, Dr Meyir Ziekah, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Wildlife Division, expressed gratitude and said the women traders’ association had committed to make good use of the items given to them.

Dr. Blaise Ouattara, FAO Food Safety and Quality Officer, emphasized FAO’s commitment to continue to provide support to the women’s association to ensure that they apply international food standards to protect public health from foodborne diseases. He also stressed that food safety is a matter of collaboration, partnership and knowledge-sharing to ensure that the right standards are followed. “Everyone has a role to play in ensuring good health and better nutrition,” he said.

Dr Ziekah also highlighted that a closed season was introduced between 1st August to 1st December each year to allow animal stocks to replenish.