An East Africa Community (EAC) meeting has proposed collaboration among member states to enhance food safety practices, facilitate trade and establish partnerships and knowledge-sharing networks.

The regional meeting for policy and decision makers on food safety and codex activities in the EAC was hosted in Uganda by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). 

“As the EAC community we have convened to discuss and address issues of food safety and codex situation in the EAC, food contaminants, food additives, pesticides and veterinary drug residues in food,” Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health, said.

According to Uganda National Bureau of Standards which is the the Codex contact point in Uganda, the recommendations will mitigate the impact of the current food safety issues of interest in the region.

The Executive Director of UNBS, Daniel Richard Makayi Nangalama, said they are committed to the continued engagement of members in the EAC region through designing and delivering capacity building activities in collaboration with FAO, WHO and CODEX Secretariat.

He said this is in line with ensuring that East African Community effectively participates and contributes to food safety and the Codex process.

“Statistics from WHO indicate that unsafe food kills an estimated 420,000 people annually yet the deaths are preventable,” he said 

Adding: “On the other hand, safe food allows for suitable intake of nutrients and contributes to a healthy life. Safe food production also improves sustainability by enabling market access and productivity, which drives economic development and poverty alleviation, especially in rural areas,”.

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Francis Mwebesa, pledged government commitment to investing in quality standards and infrastructure like food safety laboratories to ensure accessibility and availability of safe food in Uganda, and exports to the region.

The Principal Standards Officer of the East African Community Secretariat, Stella Apolot, appreciated the efforts put in place to strengthen food safety in the region.

She noted that Aflatoxin levels are still a food safety challenge in the region. She thus called for a lasting solution to put an end to it.