The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is calling on government to go beyond its planned ban on styrofoam food containers and impose a nationwide ban on all single-use plastics, describing the move as essential to tackling plastic pollution and protecting public health.
The Association says limiting the policy to styrofoam alone will not provide a lasting solution to Ghana’s growing environmental and public health challenges.
President of the Ghana Medical Association, Professor Ernest Yorke, made the call at the Association’s 26th Annual Public Lecture on the theme, “Food Safety in Contemporary Ghana: Public Health Concerns for the Consumer.”
He welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to phase out styrofoam products, describing it as a major environmental and public health intervention.
Professor Yorke, however, stressed that government must expand the policy to cover all single-use plastics in order to effectively reduce toxic pollution and safeguard the environment.
He explained that food packaging should protect food from contamination without creating additional environmental hazards.
Professor Yorke emphasised that ensuring food safety is a shared responsibility, calling on government, industry, food vendors and consumers to play their respective roles in protecting public health and the environment.
The lecture also highlighted concerns over unhealthy diets, with Professor Amos Laar of the University of Ghana School of Public Health urging policymakers to treat ultra-processed foods as a major public health threat.
He called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, academia, industry and consumers to build a healthier and safer food system in Ghana.
Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey admomished on all stakeholders in food value chain to adhere to safety standards to avert health consequences for consumers
Story: Kojo Ansah
