GEDA Uganda in high gears for World food safety day

World Food Safety Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018. The day is observed annually on June 7th to raise awareness about the importance of food safety and to promote actions that help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks. The initiative was spearheaded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), recognizing that food safety is a shared responsibility that affects everyone in the food chain.

The first World Food Safety Day was celebrated on June 7, 2019, under the theme “Food Safety, Everyone’s Business.” This annual observance emphasizes the need for everyone to understand the role they play in ensuring that the food they consume is safe and that standards are upheld at every stage, from production to consumption.

The Rwenzori region where GEDA Uganda operates is characterized with several food safety challenges ranging from post harvest handling, misuse of agro-chemicals, food borne illnesses, Contamination (Biological, Chemical, or Physical), consumer perceptions and ignorance among others. One other key issue of concern is the “Sanga meat” (rotten/unhealth meat) that people consume without considering the negative consequences. Amidst the leadership interventions, there is still alot that needs to be done to completely stop such consumption of harmful meat.

In trying to mitigate these challenges GEDA Uganda has aligned a series of activities to commemorate this day in Kasese by engaging the Local leaders, consumers, media houses, religious institutions among others to create awareness but also challenge the different stakeholders to act.

The commemoration continues our campaign of unsafe foods in our communities ranging from expiry products, the “nsanga meat” phenomenon, use of rodent poison in food preservation among others and we believe engaging different stakeholders will have an impact and cause a mindset change in our communities.

 

Unsafe food linked to the rate of Children stunting in Kasese.

In Uganda, it’s estimated that 29% of children aged 6-59 months are stunted, 4% wasted and
11% underweight with the highest burden of stunting (40.6%) among children under five years
registered in the Tooro sub region(UBOS, 2016) where Kasese District is located. In addition,
Kasese District is battling with a high caseload of stunting among children aged 6-59 months at
44.9% way above the Tooro sub regional and National statistics (Enos Mirembe Masereka,
2020).
Stunting affects the physical and cognitive development of children affecting school
performance (UNICEF, 2023). Additionally, it compromises the child’s immunity increasing
their risks to infections as well as affecting the overall health and productivity of human beings
(WHO, 2020)(Worldbank, 2021).

Following this trend, Gender-Environment and Development Action conducted a research in Kasese District, particularly in Busongora North, one of the counties with the highest rate of teenage mothers to ascertain the stunting of Children aged 6-59 months born to teenage mothers. 337 teenage mothers from 36 villages of Maliba, Bugoye sub counties and Rugendabara and Kitswamba Sub-counties in Busongora North. The results showed that 56.4% of the children tested were stunted a very worrying number. Below is a summary of the findings;

75% of the teenage mothers had a caesarean  mode of delivery
– 41.2% of the children were born as preterm(before 9months)
– 78% of the mothers joined primary school
– 19% reached secondary school
– Only 3% had started some form of a course
– 91.9% were totally unemployed
– Only 3.9% earned atleast a wage
– 6.2% delivered from home supported by traditional  birth attendants(TBA)
– 69% earned/got not more than 50K Ugx in a month
– 47% had very poor food consumption  patterns including feeding on unsafe food.
Note: 56.4% of the children born to teenage  mothers were stunted with 38.6% a
moderately and 17.8% are severely stunted.
More details can be accessed HERE

As the world food safety day comes closer-6th June 2024, GEDA Uganda is mandated and will continue sensitizing the masses about the dangers of unsafe food, malnutrition and do what it can to change the status quo in our communities.