The Ghana Standards Board (GSB) has cautioned against the indiscriminate use of plastic bags to package food and water for public consumption. A Deputy Director of the board, Mrs Charlotte Ohene-Manu, who is also the Chairperson of the Certification Mark Committee of the GSB, said some of the plastic products on the market which were being used to package food and water could have serious health implications for consumers in the long term. Ideally, plastic bags for packaging food and water should be tested and approved by the appropriate authority. Such plastics, after meeting the necessary safety requirements and standards, are given a certification mark. In line with that requirement, some water sachet producers in the country have had their plastic bags tested by the GSB and certified for use. However, most of the plastic bags used by food vendors in the country have not been tested and certified for use and the general public is accordingly cautioned against those which do not have the GSB certification. "Because food grade plastics are relatively more expensive than non-food grade plastics, traders usually go for the latter in order to cut down cost and increase their profits,” Mrs Ohene-Manu explained. She added that most of the plastic bags being used for food and water packaging had not been certified by the board and that it was important for the public to be alert to ensure that some of those abuses were checked. Mrs Ohene-Manu also raised concern about the use of coloured plastic bags (usually black) to serve food to consumers and said that could also have serious health implications. She also cautioned against the use of plastics to cover foods being cooked, stressing, “Even when such plastics are not subjected to heat they could be very harmful, how much more subjecting them to heat?” The GSB, which was established in August 1967, is the national statutory body responsible for co-ordinating the development of all national standards. Section 19 (2) of the Food and Drugs Law, 1992 (PNDCL 305B) states that where the application is for registration of food, drug, cosmetics, medical device or chemical substance manufactured in Ghana, the application shall be accompanied by a certificate of quality issued in respect of it by the Ghana Standards Board.” According to Mrs Ohene-Manu, the board had been alive to its responsibilities and conducted appropriate tests on all products presented to it by manufacturers to ensure that they conformed with set standards before certification was granted. Presently, tests are conducted on plastic products brought before it and intended for food and water packaging in order to ensure that food and water safety is not compromised, she added. Source: Daily Graphic