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Add to Preferred SourcesA food safety index launched in Dakar, Senegal recently, aims to address health problems linked to failure to plan for sufficient food.
The African Food Safety Index (FSI) will help track food shortages and food made unsafe by bacteria, viruses, pesticide residues and natural toxins such as cyanide in cassava, and aflatoxin in staple foods like maize and groundnuts.
Food insecurity has been linked to poor yields due to low investment in the latest technology and poor storage which affects the quality of food that makes it to dinner tables.
The index thought to be a useful tool in tackling food shortages, is expected to lead to improved health in the region by fighting malnutrition.
“Without access to safe food, consumers are denied access to adequate food, nutrition or health,” said Amare Ayalew, the programme manager at the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa.
According to the World Health Organisation, 91 million people in Africa fall ill each year due to foodborne diseases. Of these 137,000 dies, many of whom are children and other vulnerable groups.
Unsafe food is a threat to food and nutrition security and an impediment to national development.
In addition to health concerns, food safety has become an important precondition for access to global food markets and increasingly, for high-value domestic markets in developing countries.
No studies have been done on specific impact on national economies, but evidence indicates a high burden on trade and health.
AFSI is to be adopted by all 55 African Union countries and entrenched into the Malabo Declaration, a continental policy that commits at least 10 percent of national government budgets to agriculture.
Once implemented, countries are expected to report a better understanding and ability to manage foodborne diseases and the safe trade of food.
Original source: Daily Nation
Published on 13 November 2018