Food safety, security strategies must be included in NDP III

On June 7, the world commemorated World Food Safety Day under the theme “safer food, better health”.  However, the celebrations should be a reminder to  the government of the commitments made and reiterated by the President during the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) held on September 23, 2021.

This summit came after several dialogues organised by different stakeholders mainly civil society like the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) and the government led by the Office of the Prime Minister. Following the dialogues, several outcomes and commitments were made by the government of Uganda.

Among the commitments made by the government include the creation of a food systems addendum to the National Development Plan III (NDPIII) and a midterm review of the NDP III using a food systems lens. The government  also committed to integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the food systems transformation agenda.

These commitments were made after it was acknowledged that the NDP III did not give critical attention to food safety and security. Food safety plans can only be implied in programmes such as Human Capital Development and Agro-Industrialisation.

The NDP III also misses out on incorporating the SDGs in food systems planning, more specifically leaving out SDG 2 on zero hunger and SDG3 on good health and well-being.

The NDP III identifies food safety among the objectives to improve population health and safety. The NDP III, therefore, acknowledges how food safety is critical to having a healthy population. Unsafe foods are one of the major causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancers.

Currently, non-communicable diseases like cancer and high blood pressure are major contributors to annual deaths in Uganda at a rate of 30 percent. One can conclude that more people died as a result of NCD-related illnesses in 2021 compared to deaths attributed to Covid-19. With the current ongoing trends and exclusion of food safety and food security as a human right for Ugandans, these trends will continue.

As the government, therefore, prepares for the NDP III mid-term review critical attention and specific interventions for food safety must be incorporated into the development planning.

 Interventions to promote food safety such as restricting the marketing of junk foods and sugar-sweetened beverages to children, promoting the use of agroecology in Uganda’s agricultural sector, employment of more extension workers to train communities on post-harvest handling and preventing aflatoxin poisoning among others should be incorporated as an addendum to the NDP III in fulfillment of the food systems summit commitment.

The right to adequate food and health of Ugandans must be at the forefront when planning for food systems transformation. There cannot be national development without a healthy population! Food safety is also critical to Uganda’s food systems transformation agenda and this World food safety day should be a wake-up call to get the agenda moving.

The writer Geoffrey Obbo is the programme manager of Social Justice and Strategic litigation at CEFROHT.