Investigating the Safety of food in the chop bars in Ghanaian Streets

Abstract

Chop bars have become a vital part of the lives of Ghanaians since they offer fast-moving food against the rise in demands by people of varied tastes and preferences. However, as the number of chop bars continues to rise, the number of food borne illness, outbreaks are reportedly on the rise. This essay, however, examines and investigates the safety of food in the chop bars which have become predominant in the Ghanaians streets. Data was collected through field research methods such as interviews, use of questionnaire, and observation. The findings revealed that causes of food borne illness can be viral, bacterial, parasitic or chemical. Though the two leading causes are viral and bacterial (Liu, 2010). It further revealed that public exposure to unsafe food handling practices is likely to increase with the increasing popularity of eating places (Mitchell et al, 2007). Baş et al (2006) emphasized that “…changing lifestyle of employees and diner calls for the need for better and more effective ways of controlling food at chop bars to prevent food borne illness.” Cushman et al (2001) on the other hand reported that as food borne illness outbreaks are on the rise and food borne illnesses have the potential to affect customers through a variety of ways.