Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has urged all butchery owners to acquire the Uganda Standards for hygiene in butcheries, meat and meat products and ensure that they follow these standards.

The UNBS Standards Officer, Rehema Meeme, noted that in most suburbs of Kampala, some butcheries are built near sewage channels and lack appropriate sanitary facilities.

She said many butcher facilities lack public health requirements something that puts customers at a high risk of diseases.

Meeme and the UNBS officials were in Kampala sensitizing butchery owners about the requirements of Uganda Standard, US 736: 2019 Hygienic requirements for butcheries.

Meeme said the standard has been simplified and translated into two local languages Luganda and Swahili.

Hakim Mufumbiro, an official from UNBS explained that everyone has a responsibility to ensure that the meat products meet the quality requirements of the standard.

“The Standard is made for every butchery; regardless of size because it states the MINIMUM requirements,” Mufumbiro, Head of Food and Agriculture Division Standards at UNBS said.

Adding: “It is important to follow the standard. The standard will widen your market base. Recently the ban on Uganda’s meat to Saudi Arabia was lifted; Are we ready to export our meat?”