Hospitality Industries tasked to add value to the countries indigenous foods

Management of the country’s hospitality industry had been encouraged to take bold initiatives to package our indigenous foods to make them attractive and healthy for both Ghanaians and foreigners. Adherence will give the industry a major boost as well as economically empower producers and processers. A renowned caterer, Florence Bobi who made the call said the initiative will as well help add value to indigenous foods to increase their patronage. Madam Bobi was addressing participants on the occasion of exhibition of food bazaar show organized by the Catering department of the Bolgatanga Technical Institute at Bolgatanga in the upper East Region. The occasion which was on the theme: “Enhancing Indigenous foods for a healthy life” attracted various stakeholders in the region. It was the first of its kind since the establishment of the school 26 years ago with the aim to showcase one aspect of the institute’s capabilities and to expose graduants to the hospitality industry. It was also held with the aimed of enhancing the region’s indigenous foods for healthy life. Studies have shown that indigenous or locally processed foods are not well patronized due to the poor quality, taste and pack, texture and packaging of foods. Majority of the people in the country particularly, urban dwellers do not buy or use local or indigenous foods in spite of their nutritional values. According to Madam Bobi most people across the country undoubtedly have high preference for imported over locally produced rice and attributed the trend to physical characteristics, nutritional quality and cooking and pasting behaviours as stated in (GLG-SOFRENCO) survey of 1997. Other factors, she added, could be attributed to education, cultural influence, foreign trade and technological advancement among others and called on Ghanaians to stick to their local indigenous foods since they are rewarding and taken fresh from the locality and therefore contains the right nutritional qualities for public consumption. The Head of the Catering Department of the institute, Madam Fuseni Memuna in a brief message said the use of local dishes also serves medicinal purposes and improve the health status of individuals. She cautioned Ghanaians against the use of foreign dishes as they poses a lot of health risk to the human body due to their mode of preparation and packaging. She said though the institute lacks the requisite working tool equipment, much effort would be made to showcase the local indigenous food to the outside world for healthy life. Madam Fusieni further stressed that, as an institution that is turning out to support the manpower needs of the country in the private and public sector, there is the urgent need to train students to develop innovative skills to enable them to be creative in the presentation of meals or dishes to attract consumers. She therefore charged other catering institutions to step up their effort in ensuring that local foods are well packaged to suit the market. The Headmaster of the school, Alhaji Alhassan Umar and the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Lucy Awuni called on the government to give technical and vocational education a major boost to enhance the country’s chances of attaining the millennium development goals. Some of the local dishes on display were Tubani, Saifi Zokom, bambara beans, dawadawa dasaduka ,roasted guinea fowl and goat among others .
GBC NEWS END IA/