Unqualified caterers collapsing School Feeding Program – Chefs

The Central regional branch of the Chefs Association of Ghana is not enthused by the current system where the Gender Ministry employs caterers for the School Feeding program without checking their qualification or background.

“We are calling on the Ministry of Gender to take a second look at all School Feeding Program caterers whether they deserve to cook for school children, because the type of meals they cook for the children are not unhealthy.” Mr Paul K .A. Hodasi, who is the Executive Chef, made the call at this year’s International Chefs Day which falls on October 20. The event held at Cape Coast OLA Presbyterian Basic School was under the theme; “Making Cooking and Eating Healthy”.

He said the Association is concerned about the fact that some of the caterers do not take into consideration, the nutritional value in what they prepare for the school children.

“The question Chefs Association of Ghana is asking the Ministry of Gender is what qualifiers them to become caterers to cook for the children at school?. He charged government to set up supervision team to monitor the ingredients used by the caterers.

Better still, he suggested government partners the Association to enhance skills of caterers engaged in the programme periodically. The Central Regional Chefs Association President, Mr. King Solomon said the Association’s target for this year is to make cooking and eating healthy food fun for kids and educate them on food nutrition.

“Our local dishes are very healthy than foreign dishes but we don’t project well,” he said, condemning the increasing love for foreign food in restaurants.

The Chefs Association taught school kids how to use vegetables to cook at the event. In an interview with school kids after the event, some called on government to change school feeding caterers due to the unhealthy food being served them. Others appealed to parents to wash their hands well when cooking at home and also use good vegetables to cook.