CSOs Urge Govt to Invest in Research for Safer Food Systems

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) across Uganda have issued a strong call to government to urgently invest in national research institutes and universities to develop better detection technologies, preservation techniques, and nutritional improvements.

This comes at a time as the country grapples with a growing food safety crisis.

The call was made on Saturday during the World Food Safety Day commemoration held at City Square, Kampala, under the global theme “Food Safety: Science in Action.”

The event drew hundreds of participants, including farmers, researchers, policymakers, and citizens who marched through the city to raise awareness of the invisible but deadly threat of unsafe food in Uganda.

CSOs, including the Food Rights Alliance (FRA), PELUM-Uganda, SEATIN, FOSCU, Consent and others, voiced concern over the alarming levels of aflatoxin contamination, pesticide misuse, and counterfeit agrochemicals affecting Uganda’s food supply.

In a joint press statement, the organizations emphasized that food safety is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that the current state of Uganda’s food systems presents serious public health, economic, and environmental risks.

Speaking to the press, Agnes Kirabo, Executive Director of FRA, appealed for government funding of local scientific solutions like Aflasafe, a biological product developed to control aflatoxin contamination in crops.

“Our researchers must be among the richest people because they are doing a noble job, but they don’t have money,” Kirabo said. “We have not established a robust factory to commercialize Aflasafe, and they just need $3 million. Why don’t we give NARO the $3 million, establish that factory, and then make Aflatoxin history?”

Kirabo criticized the practice of re-routing rejected maize back into the Ugandan market, sometimes through animal feeds, which eventually affect human health through milk, eggs, and meat.

“You may not have eaten aflatoxins in your food, but you’re drinking it in your milk. You're eating it in your eggs,” she warned. “If what you ate is not safe, you ate poison.”

She also highlighted the need for food inspections in schools: “Our children spend nine months in school. When you visit, demand to see where food is stored and prepared. Is it meeting the standards?”

Science in Action Must Be Funded

Dr. Moses Matovu, a senior research officer at the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), explained that food safety issues begin right from the garden and require both environmental and technical interventions.

“Food safety challenges start right from pre-harvest due to environmental stress. If maize is not handled well, it becomes a toxin, not food,” Dr. Matovu said. “Research has found that products like Aflasafe and other biological controls can reduce mycotoxins and pesticide misuse. We are also exploring the use of microorganisms to protect crops, instead of relying heavily on chemicals.”

He emphasized that while Uganda produces large volumes of food, much of it is rejected in international markets due to non-compliance with food safety standards. “Unless we handle our food well and test it using analytical facilities, it won’t become food. It will be poison.”

The CSOs criticized the outdated Food and Drugs Act of 1964, which they say fails to reflect current food safety science and enforcement needs. They called for its urgent review, the establishment of a Food, Animal and Plant Health Authority, and increased support for local governments to enforce food safety laws.

“The Cabinet made a resolution to establish the Food and Agriculture Regulatory Authority. Why not fast-track an institution that is for all of us?” Kirabo asked.

They also warned about the dangers of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), calling for an outright ban and stronger oversight to prevent the entry of counterfeit products into Uganda’s markets.

The further reminded the public and government alike that food safety is not just a public health issue, it is a matter of economic survival, environmental justice, and national dignity.

“We’re losing markets, losing lives, and wasting money treating diseases that could be prevented with safe food,” Kirabo stressed. “Let us equip extension workers, support our researchers, and stop treating food safety like an afterthought. It is a right. It is a necessity.”