Education
A meal under threat: Ghana’s struggle with pesticide residues in vegetables – EnviroNews
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Traditional and modern Ghanaian households know the comfort of a vegetable stew, the crunch of fresh cabbage in a salad, or the silky texture of okro soup. Yet, beneath this everyday staple lies a hidden danger. Recent investigations have revealed that many of the vegetables reaching Ghana’s markets are contaminated with chemical residues, raising urgent questions about food safety, governance, and public health.
A study commissioned by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), and undertaken by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), has uncovered troubling evidence of pesticide misuse in Ghana’s vegetable supply chain. The study was purposely to determine pesticide residues in okro and cabbage, assess compliance with Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), compare residue occurrence by crop and market, and identify pesticides frequently exceeding safety limits.
Evidence of Contamination
Two-thirds of “sampled cabbage and okro,” failed food safety standards. Most alarming, all cabbage samples tested exceeded the maximum pesticides residue limits and were considered unsafe for consumption. Okro performed slightly better, with two-thirds of the sample passing the safety test.
The samples were taken from the Agbogbloshie and Madina markets where food produce from most regions in the southern part of the country including Central, Western, Eastern, Ashanti, and Volta regions, was transported to. From the findings, only 16.7 per cent of Agbogbloshie samples were compliant, compared to 50 per cent at Madina.
Presenting the findings at a meeting in Accra, CIKOD’s Director of Programmes, Willy Laate, said they wanted to share the findings of the laboratory analysis with key stakeholders and the wider public. The aim was to raise awareness of the potential health and environmental risks associated with chemical residues in food crops and to stimulate informed discussions on sustainable alternatives.
Laate explained that cabbage and okro were chosen for the study because of their popularity. “Across the country, people eat okra, while cabbage has become an important part of our diet through salads and other meals. We wanted scientific evidence to confirm what many people had suspected,” he explained.
“The sampled cabbage,” Laate stated, “contained residues of chemicals such as Triticonazole, Acetamiprid, Emamectin, and Mevinphos. These pesticides, when consumed in excess, are linked to respiratory problems, liver damage, reproductive health issues, and congenital defects,” he added.
“While okro fared slightly better, with four of six samples being compliant, two samples from Agbogbloshie contained unsafe levels of Dimethoate and Triticonazole,” Laate said.
Market Realities and Policy Matters
From his experience as a former Agricultural Extension Officer, Laate expressed concern that although many farmers are aware of the health risks posed by such practices, commercial interests frequently outweigh considerations of food safety.
Expressing similar concerns, Head of the Food and Agriculture Department of the GSA, Dr Paul Osei-Fosu, observed that some farmers were misusing the agrochemicals in a way that posed danger to the consumer public. “We have noticed that as soon as farmers apply agrochemicals during pre-harvest period, they harvest right away instead of waiting for the stipulated seven days before harvesting,” he noted.
Dr. Osei-Fosu also touched on GSA’s research finding confirming the misuse by farmers of another chemical dangerous to human health. “Dursban is intended for wood treatment, yet some farmers use it as a pesticide because of its insect-killing effectiveness.”
But farmers are not the only actors driving chemical use. Traders, keen to ensure produce looks fresh and marketable, sometimes supply pesticides directly to farmers, instructing them to apply the chemicals before harvest. As one participant at the event lamented, “Just imagine that farmers are on the field and traders go to them with chemicals… the farmer has no option. He has no money and his produce must be sold.”
A Food Systems Analyst, Dr Chaka Ozondu, in his presentation, touched on the magnitude of the reach and impact of pesticides. “…most of the pesticides applied in agricultural and industrial settings do not remain confined to their target areas. Instead, a significant portion disperses into the surrounding environment, posing danger to public health.”
According to Mattlao Nasr Yawson of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), between 2018 and 2019, when, FDA sampled lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, kontomire (cocoyam leaves), cabbage, onions, garlic, and carrots, “lettuce recorded the highest failure rate, followed by tomatoes and cucumbers.”
She noted that subsequent monitoring showed improvement: “seasonal tomatoes from Dormaa, Ada, and Burkina passed residue tests,” she said, adding: “this suggests that education campaigns we undertake from time to time, are making a difference.”
Recognising the gravity of the issue, Ghana has developed a National Food Safety Policy that among other things, outlines strategies such as registering and licensing all food handlers, creating a national database of farmers, and standardising entry into farming. These measures are designed to ensure traceability and accountability.
However, implementation remains uneven, particularly in the unregulated formal market where most consumers buy their vegetables.
Systemic Challenges and Pathways to Safer Food in Ghana
During open discussions, the participants mainly: regulators, farmers, representatives of civil society and consumer groups underscored that tackling chemical residues in food is entangled with systemic challenges. These include the prohibitively expensive cost of pesticide analysis, restricting the frequency of annual testing. By the time produce is sampled, it is often already on the market and consumed. Reliable consumption data is also scarce, making risk assessments difficult to ground in evidence.
Compounding this, much of Ghana’s vegetable trade occurs outside formal regulation, leaving consumers exposed. Financial constraints and limited manpower further weaken monitoring systems. Even when damning test results emerge, they are sometimes politically suppressed to avoid public alarm. Yet this silence keeps consumers uninformed about the true state of their food.
The discussions reinforced the findings by proposing pathways to safer food in Ghana. Central to this is farmer training, stricter enforcement of pesticide rules and intensive public education on the dangers of pesticides residue in foods. Participants also proposed dedicated vegetable markets supplied by registered farmers, ensuring traceability and consumer confidence.
Nature‑based solutions like the use of organic fertilisers and agroecology were highlighted as sustainable alternatives, though in the case of the latter, land tenure challenges could hinder adoption. Households were urged to embrace backyard gardening, to reduce reliance on produce that might be contaminated and secure nutritious food at home.
Transparency emerged as a non‑negotiable: food safety results must be released without political interference to build public trust. Ultimately, participants stressed that “food safety is everybody’s business,” and bridging the gap between policy and practice remains vital to protect the vegetables that feed the nation.
By Ama Kudom-Agyemang
