Mixed reactions to fufu machine
Mr Patrick Quansah, the General Manager Engineering of GRATIS Foundation, has asked Ghanaians to have a positive attitude towards the adoption of new technologies especially the fufu machine.
He said the fufu machine produced by the Foundation, has been certified by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and it is safe to use, he told the Ghana News Agency, in an interview in Tema.
He was reacting to a market survey conducted by the GNA, which revealed that most people are reluctant to adopt the new technology because they assume it has negative health implications.
Mr Quansah explained that the part of the fufu machine that comes into contact with the ingredients is made with stainless steel used for most cooking utensils.
“The Ghana Standard Authority did some test on our fufu machine and made sure we used the right materials for the production.
“The hopper, the auger, shaft and extruding chamber, which make contact with the food are made of stainless steel.
“The bearings, which have to be greased from time to time are made away from the extruding chamber and so has no contact with the food,” he noted.
Mr Quansah said: “There is no friction occurring within the chamber where the fufu is prepared so there is a very low probability of metal chippings entering into it.
“The fufu that comes from the machine is safe for consumption.”
Mr Quansah added that customers are trained on maintenance practices so they could keep it clean and safe.
He revealed that the domestic version of the fufu machine modelled after the blender would be produced soon.
The one on the market currently is for commercial purposes.
He added that the prototype of the domestic fufu machine would be out next year.
Meanwhile the Head of the Ministries Kitchen, popularly called ‘Mama’ said business run down when the fufu machine, was introduced.
She explained that customers began complaining and within a month they had to return to the manual preparation of fufu so they do not lose their customers.
Bernice Anku, a fufu vendor at the canteen of Ministry of Power said it takes three or more hours to pound a size of 20 pots of cassava and plantain into fufu.
She added that although it is a herculean task her customers prefer the manually prepared fufu.
However, the fufu machine takes a shorter time to prepare the fufu, it is more hygienic because it doesn’t require direct human contact and safer because there is no risk of injuries.
Mr Courage Amenu, Supervisor at Mystique Kitchen in Accra said: “Personally I prefer the machine because it doesn’t require direct human involvement. However, my customers prefer to eat fufu prepared manually.”
Obed Boh, a national service person at the Ministry of Power said he uses the fufu machine at home and it saves the family a lot of time and energy.
He said there is no difference in the taste of fufu prepared manually and one prepared using the machine.
Source: GNA