By Mohamed Juma Jalloh
It`s hard to tell whether its ripe for the appropriate authorities to declare a public health emergency, but the incessant reports of food and drinks safety issues in the media and public discourse, has warranted a national concern.
The issue of life and death belongs to the omnipotent creator, but in a situation where the government lacks the capability to protect its people, it is incumbent on the individual to ensure personal safety and security.
In as much as the situation is less serious than Ebola or war, the numerous unexplained deaths among Sierra Leoneans can hardly be detached from the consumption of expired and inedible foods and drinks.
The growing middle class is highly susceptible to consuming such products as they desire to maintain a western lifestyle.
The country’s porous land and sea borders have primarily necessitated the smuggling of foreign food products into the country where goods are hidden in undesignated stores and ware houses across the country.
Sierra Leone`s economic policy as a free market economy has also aided the huge importation of assorted food items.
An entrepreneur in Sierra Leone canimport any food commodity from any global destination.
The trade deficit in food has rendered the masses over dependent on imported food stuffs.
Even in pariah states such as North Korea it is impossible for the government to impose eating habits on the population.
Sierra Leoneans over the years have nourished the relish of consuming poor quality rice from Asia.
Most of the rice are over stored before been shipped to Sierra Leone and in the process it’s highly likely for its quality to wither away.
Assorted food stuffs such as tomato ketchups, tomato tins, biscuits ,mayonnaise, beer, juice etc. have found their way into the market as their presence can be noticed in commercial centers across the country.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation which has the mandate to promote and improve the health of all Sierra Leoneans, has a food safety and environment office very close to the Queen Elizabeth 11 quay.
Its core function is to provide inspection on food containers to determine their safety and edibility before they are allowed out of the port to the market at large.
The unit also has the responsibility to inspect food premises such as catering houses and restaurants to ensure compliance to the food and food safety act of 2017.
Its challenges range from low staff strength coupled with the unavailability of the requisite equipment to effectively administer the inspection of food and drink containers at the Quay.
Instrument such as the probe thermometer that is vital in assessing the quality and temperature of food and drinks is unavailable to the officials doing the inspection.
Anita Caulkool, head of food safety at the unit confirmed that at the time of entry, products normally carry a protracted expiry date and shelf life.
The problem gets complicated in the distribution chain until it reaches the consumer.
As soon as the goods are cleared at the Quay the distribution process begins from the importer to wholesaler and then to the retailer before reaching the consumers.
In the event where business stagnates, the consignment would end up in stores and warehouses for years.
As the expiry date draws to a close the goods are released into the market and sold at extremely undercut prices to prevent substantial loss.
Some expired products such as butter and tin tomatoes are tied in compromised knots and sold to consumers in market places.
Therefore, public awareness must be vigilant and accelerated.
Food quality can further depreciate due to lack of proper storage facilities to aid ventilation.
Sierra Leone being a tropical hot country with lots of sunlight, foodstuffs that are kept under favorable temperatures guarantees longevity of quality.
Moreover, unscrupulous business people deliberately omit the original expiry date and replace it with a fictitious date.
Upon arrival at the market the unsuspecting and ignorant consumers would purchase the product and head home for consumption.
Notable water sachets and bottles that are consumed in large quantity in the country are also impure for human consumption.
Many of the water brands cannot pass the alkaline and acidic tests of pure water.
Sierra Leone Brewery Limited which is owned 98% by Heineken international is an international company operating under high quality standards and the company expects much from their affiliate organizations.
Breweries production processes are handled by machines creating a more efficient and reliable process to ensure customers are satisfied.
The challenge is with the plethora of Indian alcohol industries whose production processes are manually handled, inviting risks of human error.
No one can determine wheither the liquid used in the alcohol are germs and bacteria free.
Enforcement of the 2017 food and food safety Act of 2017 has been very challenging by the Ministry of health food safety officials. Given that the police are excluded in the enforcement, Hawkers and street vendors normally take to their feet leaving the supposedly expired goods behind whenever they are approached by the food safety officials. The Ministry of trade of trade and industry must have a catalogue record of all importers, where in stores and warehouses are frequently monitored to figure out goods that are bound to expire. The attitude of many Sierra Leoneans is also a major challenge as far as eliminating expired food stuffs in the market is concern. One can hardly imagine a country in world where it citizens would scramble for rotten chicken at a dumpsite. Standards bureau which plays a complementary role is tasked to ensure standards compliance in measurements and weights which limits it mandate in ensuring requisite quantities are met. The consumer protection Agency headed by James Kabia has no legal status in the country and has not been recognized by successive governments creating a situation where enforcement gets extremely tough. A possible remedy to the whole food safety situation requires massive public education. Food products without expiry dates must be eschewed by the general public. One way in detecting an expired mayonnaise is by shaking the bottle, if the content rolls inside the bottle one can confirm that it is an expired product.