The Food Research Institute (FRI) of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has urged individuals, groups, and the public to explore its food training models tailored for businesses and households.
The training models encompass a wide range of food categories, including roots and tuber crops like cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, and cocoa yams; cereals such as maize, rice, millet, and sorghum; legumes like beans, cowpeas, and groundnuts; as well as vegetables, fruits, and cash crops like cocoa, cashew, and coffee.
Professor Charles Tortoe, Director of FRI, made the call during the launch of a four-day CSIR Food Fair in Accra.
The fair was organised to commemorate World Food Day, which was marked under the theme: “Food is Life, Food is Medicine, Leave No One Behind.”
Prof. Tortoe said that the FRI, in fulfillment of its mandate, had conducted extensive research into various challenges related to food, including preservation, processing, storage, distribution, utilization, and the necessary technologies.
He noted that those technologies had consistently been transferred to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals, emphasising that “these training models are unique and excellent for anyone looking to start a business.”
“We make sure that all the SMEs, all the entrepreneurs and companies that have benefited in our training are doing well. This year, more attention will be paid to post-harvest management so that the high losses of food we are experiencing in Ghana can be curtailed,” he added.
Prof. Tortoe said that the FRI’s research findings were user-friendly and practical, making it easier for anyone to start a business.
Interested individuals would receive guidance to launch and grow their ventures, helping to create more jobs and enhance food security.
Prof Paul Pinnock Bosu, Director General, CSIR, noted that chronic food insecurity continued to plague the world and in Ghana, close to 800 people were facing hunger.
He stressed that as stakeholders, they had a responsibility to ensure that no one in their community, family, or among friends and neighbors suffered due to irresponsible handling of food and food systems.
“The right to health is a fundamental human right. We at CSIR will continue to contribute our quota in the development of nutrition-enriched varietal crops for roots and tubers, cereals and legumes, fruits and vegetables, fish, meat products and technologies…to safeguard our nutritional needs,” he said.
Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, urged the public to be mindful of their dietary choices, emphasising that the food consumed played a crucial role in both growth and disease prevention.
She noted that individuals with access to adequate nutrition were more likely to have stronger immune systems, safer pregnancies and childbirths, and lower rates of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, leading to longer, healthier lives.
“There’s no better time than now to build a supportive environment, nurturing children and young adults in society and promoting good health,” she added.
By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi, GNA
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