UNBS opens UGX 22bn food safety laboratory

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) on Thursday opened a new food safety laboratory with a pledge to prioritize consumer health and facilitate speedy testing of Uganda’s food for local markets and export.

Food laboratory helps in ensuring the safety and quality of food through testing of foods and food products for contaminants. It also tests for product quality and nutritive value.

The Shs 22bn laboratory constructed next to the standards body head office in Byeyogerere in Kira municipality in Wakiso district will be the centre where the standards of various products including juice, water, food, and other beverages are tested before given a go ahead to the be sold to the general public or exported.

Ben Manyindo, the UNBS executive director, said their laboratories at Nakawa were limited in space and could not facilitate the speedy testing of food.

Manyindo said the construction of laboratories comes after phase one where the standards agency built offices – opened in 2014 and have now embarked on laboratories including food safety , The national meteorology laboratory and the engineering and building laboratory still in the planning phase.

The building has space of 4323 square meters, while the sample reception building has 488 square metres. The construction has taken 20 months. On Thursday, when the reporters toured the laboratory, it had not been equipped with any infrastructure or materials which means it will take a little more time before it starts working.

The Minister of state for trade Michael Werikhe officially opened the laboratory on behalf of the Prime Minister. He commended UNBS for putting food safety ahead of everything else.

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URN