Food safety regulation: Perspectives of food service operators in the cape coast metropolis

Abstract

Global reports since the 2000s suggest that food safety is an important public health concern that attracts the attention of governments, food producers and consumers. Governments all over the world try to prioritise the safety of their food because it is a major driver of food security. Nonetheless, foodborne illnesses continue to occur daily basis. Ghana has a legal framework, institutions and agencies at different levels of government for food safety management. Yet, Cape Coast in the Central Region grapples with foodborne related diseases, thus identified by UNICEF as a hotspot for foodborne related outbreaks. This study set out to explore the views and familiarity of food service operators on the regulation of their operations. Three hundred food service operators from the 16 communities were selected using purposive sampling method for the study. The findings showed that food service operators had functional knowledge of the rules and regulations, just about enough to guide their daily operations. Regulators were generally perceived to be friendly and accommodating but inadequate and irregular in their supervisory roles. It was recommended that regulators should have regular encounter with food service operators to enhance compliance and achieve the food safety goal.