Food safety warn vendors against quality assurance, safety

By Pa Modou Cham

Food Safety and Quality Authority (FSQA) has seriously warns vendors at Tippa Garage to have quality assurance before venturing in food processing and marketing business.

These were revealed yesterday at a surprise visit to Bakoteh Fish market to see how vendors work to protect their foods.

Food Safety and Quality Authority of The Gambia is established by the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2011 under the Office of The President. It is the sole National Competent Authority with powers of delegation mandated to officially control the safety and quality of all foods (including water and beverages) and animal feed whether locally produced, imported or destined for export.

Halimatou Baldeh, the risk communication officer at FSQA explained that they have been sensitizing the vendors about food safety but they didn’t complied.

“Today we have seen lots of things that are not good for the people but the next step we would do is to seize some of their materials as they don’t want to comply.”

She said the vendors should not expose the food they are selling outside because it can be contaminated with bacterial and can harm the customers for consuming them.

She added that all the vendors that are in the business of food should first register with food safety and seek for medical paper or will not be given the authority to sell their items to the people.

She however highlighted that they will be very strict starting from Tuesday 6 November, 2018 for those that did not registered with food safety and operating without medical paper, saying their business can be lock up.

“Any vendor who is practicing wrongly and do not want to comply with our work, it will lead the vendor to face the law.

She advised the customers to know what kind of food they are buy in the market, adding that some people’s food items are not encouraging good health.

Marie Gomez, a vendor selling fish has never gone for medical checkup for six years now, however she complied by the authorities and promised to use the advancing measures.

Lolly Ceesay whose table was find dirty and some flies and insects walking around has also expressed concern that she has been working on fish marketing since she was born and can identify things.

She added that her main concern is to sell good food to the public. In responding to the authorities for telling them to always put their foods inside their fridges, she said then the customers will not know whether they have fish for sale or not.