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Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Gulu City Mayor Alfred Okwonga has tasked the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to enhance the crackdown on substandard foods and drinks.
Okwonga pointed out that there are numerous alcoholic and energy drinks, food such as cooking oil, honey, and fortified flour in the markets which he says are not certified by UNBS and do not bear the distinct quality mark.
Among the alcoholic drinks, Okwonga named; Kadeng Ci Deng, Kasese, Lira-Lira, and Northern Waragi alcoholic drinks among others which are produced locally and not subjected to standard tests.
He added that some fortified flour and cooking oil are also circulating in the open markets without certification of UNBS, noting that the manufacturers do not only pack less than the labeled quantity but they are also unhealthy.
Okwonga has tasked UNBS to intensify surveillance and crackdown on such products, retract them from the market to save lives and the health of the population, as well as increase awareness on the importance of certification of products and processes involved.
On Wednesday, Okwonga made an impromptu visit to the UNBS Northern Regional Laboratory in Gulu City from where he presented a number of concerns raised by members of the public over substandard goods and the risks involved with consuming them.
For instance, Okwonga said that many people who consume the crude waragi have reportedly developed complications with their internal organs, while some developed mental breakdowns.
Responding to his concerns, Jonathan Richard Namakajjo, the Senior Analyst in-charge of UNBS Gulu Regional Laboratory affirmed that several products especially food and drinks that were brought to the facility for tests failed the quality tests.
Without disclosing details of the products, Namakajjo explained that they conducted tests on several products and discovered that they are below standards.
The tests on alcoholic and beverage drinks include analyzing the contents of alcohol, methanol, acidity, and metal.
The food products are also subjected to metal content tests, fat acidity, relative density, adulteration, fatty acid profiling, moisture content, and contamination among others.
According to Namakajjo, UNBS-certified products have a ‘’Q’’ mark, regulating labeling and packaging, manufacturing, and expiry dates.
On the other hand, Isaac Walakira, the UNBS Regional Surveillance Officer asked local leaders within Gulu city to create awareness among the people to embrace the use of the regional laboratory to test their products much as they undertake their operations against them.
The Northern Regional UNBS laboratory has spectroscopy, chromatography, microbiology, glassware washing, textile, and general analysis machines.
It has so far carried out several analyses on locally manufactured cooking oil, honey, sugar, fortified flour, beverages drinks, grains, and alcoholic drinks.
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There are several products like flour in Kampala that do not bear the described NBS label
Occasionally even those with the label have problems
The shopkeepers seem not to have the expected ( basic minimum) level of awareness. When an item is identified as problematic, they resort to claiming that ” goods once sold, not returnable”