In a bid to improve food safety and promote regional trade, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations have launched a two-year project aimed at strengthening food safety standards across East Africa.

The initiative will involve Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The project, titled Regional Strengthening of Food Safety Standards for Trade and Public Health Promotion, seeks to address pressing food safety challenges and eliminate non-tariff barriers that hamper regional trade.

According to FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa, Farayi Zimudzi, “unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, especially women and children.”

Ms Zimudzi highlighted that food-borne diseases cause significant health and economic burdens in Africa, with an estimated 91 million illnesses and 137,000 deaths annually.

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