Olam Agri Ghana has officially launched the 2026 edition of its flagship Healthy Baker Campaign, an annual initiative that has become one of the country’s most impactful private-sector contributions to public health and food safety since its inception in 2022.

Since its launch, the programme has successfully completed three nationwide cycles, benefiting 8,050 bakers, their workers, and its supply chain across Ghana with essential health screenings and food safety training.

This year’s campaign commences simultaneously in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region and Sekondi in the Western Region, with plans to progressively roll out nationwide to key cities including Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi, Wa, Tamale, Sunyani, and Ejura.

The 2026 campaign sets an ambitious target of reaching 10,000 bakers and bakery staff across Ghana.

Now in its fourth year, the Healthy Baker Campaign provides thousands of local bakers with free medical screenings and practical food safety and hygiene training, ensuring that those who handle food consumed daily by Ghanaian families are healthy, informed, and certified to do so.

The initiative screens for critical health conditions,the  including Blood Pressure, Hepatitis B, Typhoid and provision of Dewormers. Since 2025, the programme has also incorporated breast cancer screenings for women, reflecting Olam Agri’s commitment to providing comprehensive and inclusive healthcare access.

Participants who successfully complete the health checks receive official certification from local health authorities, confirming their fitness to handle food. Beyond the screenings, the campaign delivers structured training on personal hygiene, proper food handling techniques, and sanitation protocols, equipping bakers with the knowledge and habits needed to uphold the highest food safety standards in their establishments.

Speaking on the launch of this year’s campaign, Soumya Saxena, Business Head, Grains at Olam Agri Ghana, said: “The Healthy Baker Campaign reflects our belief that a thriving food industry begins with healthy, well-informed people. Bakers are at the heart of communities across Ghana, they feed families, sustain livelihoods, and are trusted by millions every single day.

“By bringing free medical screenings and food safety education directly to their doorstep, we are investing not just in individual health, but in the broader health of the communities we serve. We are proud to be expanding the reach of this initiative in 2026 and look forward to the lasting impact it will continue to have.”

The campaign’s significance is perhaps best understood through the voices of those it has directly touched. Comfort Nartey, a baker with over a decade of experience and owner of Connies Bakeries, speaks to both the health and professional transformation the programme brought to her business.

“I have benefited from the Olam Agri Healthy Baker screening,” she says. “We had breast screening and other tests to ensure there was nothing in us that could lead to transferring infections to the products we bake. We were also taught a lot of things about personal hygiene at work, keeping our aprons and hairnets clean, how to wash our hands so the food stays neat, and how to keep our bakeries clean. My workers and I live by what we learned, and it has really helped us.”

Olam Agri is an active player in promoting health and food safety within the baking industry. Through collaboration and active engagement with stakeholders, the company has, over the years, initiated programmes such as the ‘Healthy Baker Campaign’, the Grains Hygiene Management Program and the Bakers Conference to address critical issues relating to best practices in bakery operations, foster open dialogue and strengthen relationships with its valued partners. These initiatives collectively reinforce the company’s broader commitment to raising food safety standards in Ghana’s bakery sector while empowering women and youth within the industry.

As the 2026 campaign gets underway, Olam Agri reaffirms its commitment to the health, safety and livelihoods of Ghana’s baking community. Bakers and bakery staff across the country are encouraged to participate in what promises to be the most expansive edition of the Healthy Baker Campaign to date.