The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is set to intensify inspections of food joints across the metropolis as sanitation concerns continue to mount, particularly in high-traffic commercial areas.

The Head of the Environmental Health Unit at the KMA, Kwaku Poku, said environmental health officers have been deployed to clamp down on eateries operating under unhygienic conditions and without the required certification. Speaking on Luv FM, he admitted that while the Assembly has been working to improve sanitation standards, challenges persist.

“We are working through, but as you indicate,d there are some lapses in the system,” Mr Poku acknowledged.

According to him, the latest round of inspections will focus on areas such as Adum Railways and Dunkirk, where informal cooking activities are widespread. The exercise forms part of renewed efforts to address insanitary conditions in Kumasi, following public concern and recent enforcement actions.

An eatery at Dr Mensah, a suburb of Kumasi, was recently shut down after authorities found it operating in poor hygienic conditions, underscoring the urgency of the campaign.

Mr Poku revealed that in the previous year, the Assembly inspected 443 out of about 600 registered eateries within the metropolis. The inspections exposed several sanitation-related violations, which were flagged for immediate corrective action by operators.

“These inspections uncovered various sanitation challenges, and we ensured that they were noted for urgent attention,” he said.

He added that officers have already been detailed to begin the exercise, stressing that enforcement will be firm.

“As we speak right now, I have detailed all my officers. This morning, we have targeted Adum Railways, we have targeted Dunkirk; people are cooking around those areas,” Mr Poku stated.

The KMA says the inspections will assess hygiene standards, food safety practices and compliance with environmental health regulations, with follow-up actions, including closures and prosecutions, expected against food joints found to be non-compliant.

The move comes amid broader national discussions on sanitation and public health, as metropolitan and municipal authorities step up efforts to prevent disease outbreaks linked to poor environmental conditions.