The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has launched a two day national engagement aimed at strengthening Uganda’s food safety laboratory infrastructure to improve public health, boost agricultural trade and enhance consumer protection.
The meeting, taking place in Kampala, has brought together representatives from government agencies, public and private laboratories, research institutions, universities, the private sector and development partners to validate and endorse recommendations for improving the country’s food testing capacity.
The initiative is being implemented under the FAO project titled Regional Strengthening of Food Safety Standards for Trade and Public Health Promotion, which is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
According to UNBS, the engagement seeks to build consensus on priority interventions that will strengthen Uganda’s food safety systems and ensure that laboratory services meet internationally recognised standards.
Food safety remains a critical pillar for Uganda’s public health, food and nutrition security, agricultural transformation and international trade. However, the country continues to face significant challenges arising from aflatoxins and other mycotoxins, pesticide residues, heavy metals, microbial contamination and poor food handling practices, all of which pose serious risks to consumers and undermine the competitiveness of Ugandan food products in regional and global markets.
To better understand the country’s laboratory capacity, a comprehensive assessment was undertaken to evaluate food testing methods, laboratory infrastructure, equipment, human resource capacity, quality management systems, proficiency testing and readiness for accreditation in line with internationally recognised standards.
The assessment examined compliance with the International Organization for Standardization requirements, including ISO/IEC 17025, which sets the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, and ISO/IEC 17043, which provides requirements for proficiency testing providers.
Among the laboratories assessed were the UNBS Food Safety Laboratories, Chemiphar Laboratories Limited, the National Agricultural Research Organisation Biopesticide Innovation Laboratories and the Government Analytical Laboratories.
Following the assessment, stakeholders endorsed a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening Uganda’s food safety laboratory network.
These include strengthening the country’s policy, legal and regulatory framework governing food analytical laboratories, expanding access to laboratory facilities across the country and investing in modern analytical equipment to improve testing capacity.
The recommendations also call for increased investment in training laboratory personnel to enhance their competence, expanding national proficiency testing schemes, strengthening quality management systems to support accreditation for testing pesticide residues, mycotoxins and heavy metal contaminants, and developing advocacy materials to promote recognition of the laboratory testing profession within government.
Stakeholders further recommended the establishment of a functional national network of laboratories supported by a centralised information portal to improve coordination, information sharing and access to testing services nationwide.
UNBS said strengthening laboratory systems will significantly improve Uganda’s capacity to detect food contaminants, support evidence based regulation, strengthen consumer protection, reduce food losses and increase confidence in locally produced food products.
The bureau added that improved laboratory capacity will also enhance Uganda’s access to regional and international export markets by ensuring compliance with internationally accepted food safety standards.
The initiative supports Uganda’s Food Systems Transformation Agenda, the Fourth National Development Plan, the African Union Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, all of which recognise food safety as a key driver of sustainable economic growth, public health and agricultural development.
UNBS is the government agency mandated to develop, promote and enforce national standards to protect public health, safety and the environment, while ensuring fairness in trade and precision in industry through reliable measurement systems.
