Food Safety Day: UNBS, stakeholders call for a renewed fight against aflatoxins in food
Drake Nyamugabwa
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Grain council, Food Rights Alliance (FRA), Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFF), Oxfam among others, through a joint statement have called upon stakeholders in the food value chain to renew their fight against aflatoxins in food with an aim to achieve food safety and good heath for consumers and business.
This come at a time when Uganda will join the rest of the world to mark World Food safety day that falls on 7th June.
The theme of the day is: “Safer Food better health”
During a media briefing on 6th June 2022 at Media centre, the Deputy Executive Director in charge of standards Patricia B. Ejalu said that while marking the world food safety day, they are jointly calling upon all stakeholders to take action in fighting aflatoxins in food which she said can be addressed by all players including consumers, traders , civil society organization, regulators among others
“aflatoxin is harmful to humans and livestock. The campaign is to create awareness and training of agriculture value chain players jointly to address the issue” she said.
She urged farmers to adopt to good agriculture practices that ensures that there is no moisture while drying grains, harvesting dry grains, among others while recommending traders to maintain quality products that reach required standards.
The Country Director Oxfam, Francis Shanty Odokorach said that in order to participate in the wider market created by EAC and beyond, there is need for farmers to be aware of the problem affecting the standards of agriculture products so that they ensure safe food, lives through joint efforts in the food value chain
