In Uganda, FAO leads an evaluation of the national food control system

FAO began a project last month to pave the way towards improving the food control system in the Republic of Uganda. A 5-million-euro project funded by the European Union, "Strengthening of Capacities and Governance in Food and Phytosanitary Control,” is set to provide technical support and work with Competent Authorities and other leading institutions in 11 countries that are Members of the African Union to build up capabilities, strengthen governance and improve strategic planning around two main components: food safety and plant health. As part of the food safety component, an assessment of the national food control system will be carried out in Uganda, the seventh country where the project is being implemented. A team of food safety experts from FAO will work closely with local Competent Authorities for food safety and relevant stakeholders, to assess the effectiveness of the national food control system and to develop strategies to improve the country’s public health and economic development. 

Assessment of the national food control system in Uganda

The project, co-signed by the Government of Uganda, falls within the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Policy Framework for Africa developed by the African Union (AU) to spur trade among AU Member States and is implemented in close collaboration with the African Commission Division for Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC DARBE). 

With this project FAO, which has been providing support in Uganda since 1959, is introducing the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool designed to assess the national food control system in a comprehensive manner, by looking at the entire food chain, including production, distribution, the retail market and the consumers. 

On Monday, the Executive Director of the country’s National Bureau of Standards, David Livingstone Ebiru, talked about the food-related and economic-related challenges that Uganda was facing and underlined the importance of looking at food-related projects not just for the nutritional benefits on the population but also for the economic opportunities they can offer. “The President is always reminding us to stop only working for the stomach…also look at the commercial aspect of food,” Ebiru said.

As part of the assessment, a team of FAO experts will assist Uganda’s Competent Authorities in food safety through various assessment steps, culminating with the development of a set of recommendations and a strategic framework to facilitate their implementation. The project aims to assist Uganda in adhering to international standards that will allow greater harmonization and trade in the region. 

Launch of the project and training of focal points 

The training took place in Kampala from 24 to 28 April 2023, and included presentations, discussions, and case studies to train focal points of the Competent Authorities on the technical aspects of the Tool and also on their respective responsibilities and activities in the subsequent phases of the project. The activities included data collection across the whole food control system.

Nadia Cannata from the Delegation of the European Union to Uganda thanked participants of the workshop for their upcoming work and their contribution in support of ongoing programmes in Uganda, highlighting one of the project’s quality which is ”not only oriented to what goes outside of the country but is very much oriented also to the local markets.”

Read more about the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool  

See the website for FAO’s Office in Uganda

Photo: © FAO/Grace Musimami