The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government is to establish a Food and agricultural Regulatory Authority as part of the efforts to address the food safety challenges in the country.
David Tumwesige, from the Department of Crop Production recently told a food system dialogue that while the government has just phased out many authorities, it has decided to establish the Food and Agriculture Regulatory Authority because of the huge challenges related to food safety.
Food safety involves preventive practices at any point in food-related operations, such as receiving, storing, processing, handling, and distributing.
According to policy brief by the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, the elderly, and the sick.
It estimates that 1.3 million Ugandans are diagnosed with food-borne illnesses annually, constituting 14% of all human ailments treated annually.
The government has over the years, been intensifying efforts to improve the standard of food safety and food safety practices with little success, especially regarding implementation.
EPRC noted that the food supply chain of Uganda has seen several challenges, including chemical substances of public health concern that have been detected in food and food products in the market.
The study had recommended the review of the 1964 Food and Drugs Act to cater to technological changes and restore hygiene and sanitary. It noted that while there are over 23 food and nutrition, laws, 6 policies, 9 regulations, 12 strategies and plans, and several standards in place, food safety appeared like an orphaned element of the Food and Drugs Act of 1964 Food Act.
Dr. Diana Akullo Ogwal, a food safety specialist and researcher in 2023 study on food laws in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya found that people experience high incidences of foodborne diseases annually leading to poor public health, yet there is limited information on implementation of food laws in the three countries .
The food safety component has for long been under the Ministry of Health but with effect from this financial year, it will be under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries.
Tumwaigye explained that because of the current concerns about the safety of food being produced under the current farming system it was decided that the Ministry of Agriculture takes up the role.
“Food safety does not begin at the plate but rather begins right from the source along the agri-food value chain. Food safety begin from the right seed,” explained Tumwesige.
“We are not waiting for FARA. We all agree that in this country, we don’t have a national food safety policy or regulatory framework at national level” said Tumwesige.
Some off the challenges include cancer-causing aflatoxins in maize and cassava, the persistent misuse of pesticides and other agro-chemicals. According to WHO, accessing safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health.
Experts have been calling for the involvement of households to either handle, store and process food. They have also urged the government to put in place capabilities for farmers or districts to test food. The entire eastern and northern Uganda does not have any food laboratory.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on trade, the Right to Food, Health, land, investment and agriculture related issues have over the years said that food safety risks have remained a permanent challenge to the urban populations across the country due to food vending in open undesignated spaces such as the road side, along drainage channels, in taxi parks, market places, and along all streets.
They say all these issues are exacerbated by the low level of enforcement of standards by government, which reduces compliance among food actors and in turn builds complacency among consumers.
******
URN
