Food safety expert Dr. Mavis Owireku Asare has disclosed that some market women now add sawdust to fish and shrimp powder in other to increase their profits by selling more.
Ms Owireku Asare speaking to Joy FM as today marks World Food Day disclosed that this was found out after some test were conducted on fish and shrimp powder samples from different markets.
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"When you dry pepper you do not get the bright red colour, it dims a bit, so if you buy powdered pepper and it is bright red, it should tell you there is a bit of colour in there. Groundnut paste for instance when you mix with water and you realize it's white then you noticed it's been mixed with flour,it is easy to spot some foods have been adulterated.
A typical example is when I sampled fish and shrimp powder from various markets and sent to the lab, after series of test I realized ash content was high in some of the samples, and we got to know they were adding sawdust".
Ms Owireku Asare advised people to be vigilant when it comes to foodstuff they purchase outside.
World Food Day
World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
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