Olam Agri, in partnership with local regulatory authorities and medical professionals in Ghana, provided free medical screening for over 1,100 bakers and their staff in Accra and Kumasi. This initiative is part of the ‘My Healthy Baker’ programme that is designed to improve the well-being of bakers and ensure food safety within the communities they serve.
Under the ‘Get Screened, Know Your Health Status’ campaign – which is part of the ‘My Healthy Baker’ programme launched in 2022 – a total of 15 health screening drives have been conducted within the Tema and Ashaiman townships; Dansoman, Kaneshie, Alajo in Accra; and Kumasi. These were conducted by teams of medical professionals including doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians.
Along with the health screening, participants were educated on good hygiene practices to ensure optimal food safety standards are maintained at their respective bakeries. Bakers who have successfully passed the health screening checks are issued with food-handling certificates by their local authorities, certifying their suitability to handle food.
“This initiative is part of our commitment to promote health and safety in our communities,” said Baibhav Biswas, Head of Olam Agri’s grain business in Ghana. He added that regular health screenings and education on food safety practices can help ensure that bakers are in good health, which is important to food safety.
Olam Agri has over the years initiated many programmes in this vein – including the ‘Bakers’ Conference’, which is a stakeholder engagement initiative designed to establish constant communication and direct engagement with bakers across the country on issues relating to their businesses and create a platform to jointly brainstorm for solutions. The business also organises a series of training programmes for bakers, focusing on how to efficiently use their products for different baking purposes while reducing costs.
Inaugurated in 2012 by the late President John Evans Atta Mills, the business sources wheat grains from around the world to produce different types of wheat flour for different baking purposes; both for the local market and export to neighbouring Francophone countries.
With a strong focus on food safety and a continuing commitment to quality, the business has invested in high-quality infrastructure and competent human resources to ensure the production of quality products which are able to meet local demands and international standards. Some of the main flour brands produced by the company include First Choice, Royal Gold and Vital.
