The Ashanti Regional Secretary of School Feeding Caterers, Dorothy Ofori Sarpong has rejected the Auditor-General report on unwholesome meals prepared for students.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Wednesday, July 17, Madam Sarpong said she is not aware of such happening in the country as captured in the report.

According to her, students enjoy the meals so much that even teachers bring their bowls to get a share first.

“With that aspect, I am afraid. I am also a mother and whatever food I cook, I send some home for my children to eat. It is never true but then if you are saying the quantity of the food is not enough, that one, I will agree with you 100 percent,” she said.

The Auditor-General in its 2022 report revealed that many school feeding caterers in five regions provided unwholesome meals to thousands of pupils.

The report highlighted that in the Upper East and Greater Accra regions, children were served rice with pebbles and beans infested with worms and weevils. Some caterers also added food coloring to jollof rice, violating the National Operations Manual.

The report noted that food served was often inadequate and of poor quality, with 58 caterers across 245 schools in five regions failing to meet standards.

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of School Feeding Caterers suggested that if such incidents are occurring, they are likely rare, perhaps one in 1,000 cases.

She, however, concurred to the fact that the quantity of food prepared is not enough, blaming it on the hike in food prices.

“We know that because of the prices of foodstuff, we don’t use enough ingredients. For instance, if we have to use about 50 cedis onion, we use 20 cedis but for me, using colour out,” she said.