He said the chemicals in the various fast foods were a major concern as they cause diseases and health conditions such as obesity. Dr Bawa made the appeal at the World Obesity Day celebration of the Centre at Adenta West, near Madina in Accra on Thursday.

He said the general perception was that the FDA’s mandate on surveillance covered only pharmaceutical, herbal, chemical, food and alcoholic products for their health and safety implications and said they should extend their activities to foods prepared for immediate human consumption.

This, Dr Bawa said, would help control the fat, oil and other injurious substances to human health. He noted that obesity, even though not a disease, had an effect on the well-being and fitness of the human being to enjoy life to its fullness without any side effects. Dr Bawa advised the public to be careful about the kind of food they eat and undertake physical exercises such as walking and running to stay healthy and avoid being obese.

He urged them to eat more fruits, vegetables and balanced diet to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

The Medical Director stressed the importance of regular hand washing with soap under running water to avoid contamination of germs, which caused diseases such as cholera.