Experts attending the Uganda National Conference on Health, Human Rights and Development have expressed concern over the increasing cases of food fraud, warning that the problem remains largely unchecked.
Speaking at the ongoing conference, Ketra Nakayenga, Principal Consultant in charge of Quality Assurance and Standardization at the Ministry of Trade, urged Ugandans to demand accountability from regulators such as the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). She noted that despite increased budget allocations for enforcing product standards, cases of adulterated and misbranded food continue to rise.
Delegates cited products like meat and milk that are often laced with chemicals to extend shelf life, as well as packaged foods with unclear nutritional information. Nakayenga revealed that the trade ministry is now working with the Ministry of Health to introduce a Nutrition Profile Model, which will set thresholds for unhealthy food components.
Such models, already in use in developed countries, use color codes to guide consumers: ‘Red’ for unhealthy products to avoid, ‘Orange’ for foods to be consumed with caution, and ‘Green’ for healthy, recommended options.
Even before this system is rolled out, nutritionist Daniel Kamara urged individuals to take responsibility by reading food labels before purchase. He cautioned against buying foods with more than four grams of sugar or two grams of trans fats, both of which raise the risk of non-communicable diseases. Kamara added that while no formal study has yet quantified the impact of food fraud in Uganda, the practice extends beyond chemical adulteration to include deleting expiry dates and altering product labels.
Delegates agreed that addressing the problem will require a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving the ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Trade. Nakayenga said discussions are underway to establish a common accreditation portal that would issue a single certificate recognized across all agencies once a product is verified. She noted that, at present, overlaps and confusion between regulators such as UNBS and the National Drug Authority slow down enforcement.
