School Feeding Caterers Refute Claims Of Providing Unhealthy Meals To Pupils

The Secretary for School Feeding Caterers’ Association, Dorothy Ofori Sarpong, has refuted claims that they provide pupils at basic schools with unhealthy meals.

There have been some concerns that some of the caterers feed the pupils with poor-quality food.

Responding to this issue, Madam Dorothy Ofori Sarpong said they do not cook unwholesome meals for the pupils adding that such caterers would have been fished out since some of the teachers also consume some of the food.

She cited an incident where a caterer in the Ashanti Region was alleged to have fed the pupils with contaminated food explaining that the caterer blamed the situation on groundnut paste she bought from the market.

The Secretary for School Feeding Caterers’ Association noted that district and regional coordinators of the school feeding program supervise their cooking hence they cook under hygienic conditions.

“It’s very true, but it’s one out of a thousand, we have different women cooking different food which obviously will not be the same. There was only one incident even though, there was a reason and the caterer involved gave some explanation. It was at Ohwimase Anglican Basic School or so, it came on air, so a lot of people rushed to her, and she explained that the groundnut she bought wasn’t good. After that go and see the food has been delicious. It was just a one-day mistake. We cook different meals, so we cook a balanced diet for the children.

“The regional and district coordinators come round to supervise our cooking. They even applauded me for my delicious food during one of their visits. We serve the teachers some of the food as well, so you cannot just cook anything for the children. It’s a good meal we prepare. It’s the quantity that is questionable, that is why we are pleading for an increment due to the high prices of goods to make up for the children”.

Caterers who cook for basic school kids in the country have been on a nationwide strike following the government’s failure to pay them their arrears and increase the amount per child.

They are calling for an increment of the amount per child from 97 pesewas to GH¢3.50.

Background

Asantewaa Khadija of Ohwimase Anglican Basic School was in 2019 indicted for allegedly serving poor meals to pupils in the Kwadaso Municipality of the Ashanti region.

This was after some irate teachers of the school on May 29 protested against the poor quality of food served the pupils.