From Tradition to Trouble: The hidden dangers of fufu machines

Modern life is increasingly defined by convenience - from ready‑made meals to machines designed to make food preparation effortless.

For fufu, one of Ghana's most cherished traditional dishes, pounding machines have quickly gained acceptance. Many households have embraced this innovation to save time and energy, suggesting the practice may be here to stay.

Yet beneath the convenience lies a troubling question: could these machines gradually become a public health risk?

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Ing. Prof. Francis Kumi, Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), has sounded the alarm.

He warns that locally fabricated machines, including the popular fufu pounding devices, are often produced without adherence to clear standards - a lapse that poses serious dangers to consumers.

According to him, the absence of proper regulatory frameworks and quality controls in local machine manufacturing has become a major concern.

"A study we did showed that many fabricators do not follow international standards; they just do anything. A typical example is the fufu pounding machine. We know we have a lot of people fabricating here and there, helping to fast‑track the process," he said.

"However, many local artisans are now turning it into a grinding machine instead of pounding. We know what pounding is, but most people in the local parlance will say they are going to grind instead of pound," Prof Kumi added.

He cautioned that such equipment, while supporting domestic production and reducing reliance on imports, could endanger public health and safety if it is not held to rigorous standards and testing.

"We know food processing machines should be made with stainless steel. Even with stainless steel, there are grades. We can have a high‑grade one, but is that what they use? How do we handle some of these? There are a lot of implications. Some of them wear into our food. Some get rusted. Some use mild steel and galvanised steel, then paint it. You go and see it shiny and think it is stainless steel — but it is not," he disclosed.

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Prof Kumi emphasised: "These are serious things. You go to our hospitals, and we have a lot of issues happening because of some of these practices. This can kill you slowly without you knowing. You'll be eating a lot of fufu that is ground rather than pounded, and with time, you'll develop many health issues."

"… Let's look at this critically. I think it is something the nation must pick up and really pay attention to.”

Watch video of Prof Kumi's remarks below.

The Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ing. Prof. Francis Kumi, has warned that locally fabricated machines like fufu machines are produced without clear standards and pose serious risks to consumers.

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