UNBS, butchers sign MoU over meat standards

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kampala Butchers and Traders Association (KABUTA) to improve quality of meat products and ensure compliance to the food safety standards.

The signing took place at UNBS Head Office between the UNBS Executive Director, Dr. Ben Manyindo and the KABUTA Chairman, Al Hajji Musa Ssenabulya.

“The MoU is good opportunity for UNBS to work with established industry association to coordinate the development of standards and codes of practice relevant for improving the quality and safety of meat and meat products,” Dr. Manyindo said at the signing.

According to the MoU, UNBS will promote value addition in the industry by creating awareness on requirements and procedures for product and food safety among the KABUTA members. The standards body will also provide testing services to evaluate the quality and safety of products for conformity to relevant standards.

“UNBS will involve members of KABUTA in the development of meat standards and support them to undertake training on standards implementation and record keeping,” Dr. Manyindo said.

The MoU also provides cooperation on weights and measures requirements, training and certification of the butchers.

In the past Uganda has faced challenges in accessing international markets due to poor quality meat and meat products. However, the cooperation between UNBS and KABUTA will reportedly improve standards in the industry thus improving trade in meat and related products.

UNBS will also coordinate harmonization and implementation of standards in meat and meat products in the region and benchmark with international standards to prevent technical barriers to trade for products.

On his part Al Hajji Ssenabulya said the MoU comes at an opportune time when Kabuta wants to improve standards among butchers and meat traders.

“The MoU will allow us to work with UNBS to ensure that our members to comply with Industry standards including UNBS requirements on weights and measures which will improve quality and competitiveness of our products,” said Al Hajji Ssenabulya.

“We shall use our association to mobilize our members and work with UNBS to create awareness on food safety and certification requirements”, he added.

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a statutory body responsible for developing and promoting standards and quality of products and services to facilitate fair trade, promote local industries and protect consumers.