Hohoe pub owner fined GH¢600 over expired drinks, poor sanitation

A routine sanitation inspection in Hohoe has led to the conviction of a pub owner for selling expired drinks and operating in unhygienic conditions.

Christabel Afornorfe, 31, owner of Christabel Pub and Bar Ltd, was fined GH¢600 by the Hohoe Magistrate Court after pleading guilty to the offences.

The court, presided over by relieving judge Lambert Y. Keriba, ordered her to serve one month in prison if she fails to pay the fine.

Her 19-year-old shop attendant, Theodora Kornu, who also pleaded guilty, was ordered to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for three years.

Prosecuting Officer and Environmental Health Analyst, Daniel Dotse Eklo, told the court that sanitary inspectors visited the premises on July 14 during a routine inspection.

During the inspection, they found expired drinks being sold at the pub.

The inspectors also observed that refuse had been dumped behind the premises and that food was being sold under insanitary conditions.

The court further heard that Afornorfe and Kornu were operating without the required medical certificates of fitness.

According to the prosecution, the two were educated on the breaches and served with abatement notices directing them to correct the sanitary problems.

They were also asked to report to the Environmental Health Office for medical screening.

However, a follow-up inspection on July 22 showed that they had failed to comply with the directives.

The expired drinks were later confiscated and kept as evidence.

Mr Eklo warned that selling expired products and food under insanitary conditions posed serious health risks to the public.

He said such practices could expose unsuspecting customers to food poisoning and foodborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid, dysentery and Hepatitis A.