Ghanaians urged to consume more organic foods – Ms. Lady Thelma Boye

Organic foods have more beneficial nutrients to the human body than inorganic ones, an agronomist, Ms. Lady Thelma Boye has said. She has therefore urged Ghanaians to consume more organic foods than non-organic for better health.

Themed: Celebrating our heritage month “Our Heritage, Our Food”

According to Ms. Lady Thelma Boye, who is the CEO of College of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management, Est. 1971 ( COCAHM ) said this on last Friday in Accra in an interview with the media on the importance of organic foods to the human body.

OUR HERITAGE FOOD

She said inorganic foods were food items that had utilized synthetic products such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides in their production while organic foods were food substance which were produced only through naturalfarming method in which natural fertilizers were used to improve plant growth.

She explained that the type of food consumed has a lasting effect on human health thereby alluding that rural folks seems to more healthier that people living in urban areas because the former consumes more of organic products.

She said the use of inorganic fertilizers on farms tend to have a negative effect on farm yields though helps give farmers plenty yields.

CoCAHM TO AFRICA

Ms Lady Thelma Boye who is also the CEO for CoCAHM TO AFRICA said nitrogen was an essential nutrient for plant growth explaining that “plants can absorb only 0.5 to three per cent nitrogen, anything more than thatwould make the plants weak, leaving them susceptible to fungal attack and pest pressure.”

According to Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Renowned Pathologist said plants take nitrogen in the form of nitrate and ammonium adding that too much of it would lead to leaching in soils with very poor structure and texture.

“Nitrate in plants can be detrimental in high levels as they encourage vegetative growth at the cost of reproductive growth,” he added.

He therefore called on Ghanaians to desist from inorganic foods such as pre-cooked or ready-to-cook meals, processed foods, baked and frozen foods adding that “let us eat food substances produced here in Ghana.

He also urged farmers to ensure they use organic methods in their farming activities saying it was only through that they can produce healthy food stuffs for their families and Ghanaians at large.