Four workers of ‘Ye Kum Kom' restaurant at Rawlings Park in Accra Central have been fined GH₵ 480 each by a magistrate court in Accra for their inability to produce their food handlers’ certificate as required by law. 

They are Rita Aboakye, Okine, Enoch and Theophilus. 

The court presided over by Her Worship Juliet Osei Boadu, also fined Isaac John and Jafaru Salifu an amount of GH ₵240 each or in default serve 2 months in prison for littering. 

According to the Prosecutor, Patience Geraldo, Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly's Public Health Department visited the restaurant owned by Akosua Agyepong on Tuesday 16th July 2019 during their usual inspections and discovered that the workers had no Food Handlers Certificate upon request.  

He said the workers were then notified to abate the nuisance by going through the process to acquire the certificate but upon reinspection the Officers realised that they had not adhered to the notification hence the court action.  

He said the Isaac John and Jafaru Salifu were also arrested by the Assembly's Sanitation Taskforce on Tuesday between the hours of 12 am during their midnight patrols of the Central Business District (CBD). 

Head of Public Health Department of the AMA, Florence Kuukyi, in an interview soon after the judgement, said every food vendor is required to undergo annual medical screening because of the spread of communicable diseases to ensure food safety in the city.   

He explained that, to acquire the food handlers’ certificate one would have to pick a   forms at the Assembly, fill data cost of GH₵40 and submit with two passport pictures after which he/she would be referred to an accredited hospital for screening before the certificate was issued adding that, the process takes only one week to complete.  

She urged the public to demand food handlers’ certificate from food venders before patronising them. 

She also admonished all residents and commuters to be responsible and desist from littering adding that public litter bins had been installed at various locations in the city.