Stop Buying Food Sold Near Open Gutters – FDA Warns Public
FDA urges consumers to avoid food sold near open gutters to reduce health risks and improve hygiene standards
- The FDA has warned the public against buying food sold near open gutters, citing serious public health risks
- Consumers are urged to refuse food from vendors operating in unhygienic locations, as this is one of the strongest tools to enforce safer practices
- The Authority continues public education campaigns in markets
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has cautioned the public against purchasing food sold near open gutters, warning that such practices pose serious risks to public health.
According to Mr. Roderick Daddey-Adjei, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of the FDA’s Food Division, the widespread habit of preparing and selling food in unhygienic conditions undermines efforts to improve food safety nationwide.
“Food should not be sold by a gutter, and we will not defend that,” Mr. Daddey-Adjei told Citi FM on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. He described the practice as a long-standing cultural issue that requires both stricter enforcement and a shift in consumer behavior.
He emphasized that consumers play a critical role in safeguarding their own health by refusing to buy food from vendors operating in unsafe locations.
“You need to educate the consumer so they can make informed choices. Without them, this will not work. Enforcement alone cannot solve the problem,” he explained.
The FDA is conducting public education campaigns in markets and communities to teach vendors and consumers about proper food hygiene and handwashing. Mr. Daddey-Adjei noted that while these efforts continue, compliance remains low due to the high number of informal food vendors and limited enforcement capacity.
Under the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), all food vendors, including itinerant sellers, must obtain permits and meet minimum hygiene standards before operating. Failure to do so has real public health consequences, as evidenced by last year’s cholera outbreak, which spread from the Western Region to Central and Greater Accra.
Mr. Daddey-Adjei urged the public to make safer choices: “If people stop buying food sold next to gutters and other unsafe places, vendors will be forced to change how they operate. That is one of the strongest tools available to us.”
