Enhancing the knowledge base of public and clinical health workers on food safety standards and nutrition

Over the years, there is growing focus on Food Safety as a public health concern and appreciation of its integral role in sustaining life and promoting good health.

Food Safety has continually been identified as a big management issue in the food chains starting at the point of production, through transportation, processing, packaging and storage until the final consumption stage.  Unfortunately, smallholder food producers are innocently and ignorantly producing unsafe food. Consequently, unsafe food is increasingly getting rejected by consumers and international markets, putting the entire food system in jeopardy.

In the bid to promote food safety at different points of the food system and protect the consumers against unsafe food, KRC-Uganda in partnership with Kabarole District Local Government and Fort Portal tourism City leadership conducted a two days’ training of 20 Health Inspectors and Health Assistants from both the District and the City on food safety, food inspection protocols, existing laws governing food safety and Nutrition.

Following the training, a number of commitments were made by the participants including;

• Conducting routine food point inspections
• Conducting awareness and mentorship sessions targeting food handlers and consumers
• Supporting the enforcement of the available laws that protect the consumers against unsafe foods
• Advocating and planning for interventions geared towards improving the food safety and
• Reporting food safety issues.

Improving Food Safety requires a multi actor approach and thus calls upon all food system actors to be responsive in ensuring that consumers have access to safe and nutritious food.

By: Bwambale Bernard, Dietician & Nutritionist, KRC Uganda