The use of polythene to wrap foods like Banku has been deemed poisonous and injurious to health by an expert.
Dr Kwaku Afriyie, the Environment Science Technology and Innovation Minister has cautioned that eating foods wrapped up in these plastics have serious health implications.
As a result, it advises caterers and food suppliers to switch from the practicality of serving their customers in polythene to healthier practices.
The purpose of the discussion, which included representatives of the many informal food and beverage industry players, was to talk about how to combat the problem of plastic trash, which has become a significant environmental issue.
“Some of these chemicals have been linked to health problems such as metabolic disorders (including obesity) and reduced fertility,” the minister indicated.
“For catering companies and professional kitchens, one of the biggest environmental factors is excess packaging. This packaging comes in the form of containers for food items, plastic wraps for ingredients and in many cases, disposable cutlery and utensils”.
“Before the invention of these banku rubbers, our old folks were still storing banku for more than a week without it going bad and any health hazards. As a matter of fact, they rather used materials that had the potential to add other health benefits to the banku”, he said [quoted by Graphic.com.gh]
