Government set to form new Authority for food safety

A new authority to harmonize the regulation and enforcement of food safety and quality standards is about to be introduced by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).

At a three-day consultative retreat held in Entebbe over the weekend to discuss the principles of the Food and Agriculture Authority, the state minister for agriculture, fisheries, and animal industry, Lt Col Bright Rwamirama, stated that the authority will coordinate government efforts to guarantee the quality of agricultural inputs and products.

Col. Rwamirama stated that the goal of the consultations is to gather a large amount of feedback, supplementing the current framework documents, in order to develop the fundamental ideas of a bill that will be submitted to Parliament.

“When the Bill is passed into an act of parliament, the Authority will have garnered full legal backing for its sexistence and operation,” he said.

The minister went on to say that the proposed principles will strengthen the governance, administration, and regulation of food value chains, veterinary drugs, and agricultural chemicals and devices through the establishment of an authority.

The principles, he continued, should enable the efficient coordination of competing agencies or subject matter experts engaged in the regulation and control of food, agricultural chemicals, devices, and veterinary medications.

“The principles shall specifically provide for a system for the manufacture, storage, importation, exportation, distributio advertisement, sale and utilisation of veterinary medicines, agricultural chemicals and devices and food”.

According to Col Rwamirama, the principles shall also provide for a system for producing quality, safe and suitable food for consumption. The system will include rule-based sanitary and phytosanitary management and control techniques that allow agricultural products to adhere to standards for plant and animal health as well as food safety. This will enhance market acess and competitiveness for food and agricultural products

The inputs include agro chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and acaricides, and animal drugs and vaccines such as fertilizers and machines used in processing and handling the inputs