[2007-05-21]  ZACA calls for more food control labs
THE Zambia Consumers Association (ZACA) has appealed to the government to set up Drug and Food Control laboratories across Zambia to reduce conflicts between food retailers and consumers.

ZACA general secretary, Muyunda Ililonga said that the association had received many complaints concerning the bad state of foods from the sellers.

Mr Ililonga said due to the dependence on one laboratory and the long distances covered, most food samples changed their status before they reached the laboratory.

He added that the practice of taking samples to Lusaka was cumbersome in the sense that the exhibits had to move long distances to the Food and Drugs laboratory at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka
Mr Ililonga noted in an interview yesterday that it was important for government to decentralise the Drugs and Food Control laboratory to reduce the workload of the health inspectors.

“ We are only depending on the Drug and Food Control Laboratory that we have in Zambia, which is at University Teaching Hospital.

We are appealing to the government to set up more of these institutions to enable the health inspectors conduct investigations quickly, “ he said.

He added that food could be the source of nutrition and of disease hence the need for the scientific methods of determining the toxic content in foods adding that once good measures were put in place, consumers would feel secured whenever they were eating.

He said there was need to strengthen local authorities so that health inspectors could have the capacity to deliver the goods to consumers.

Mr Ililonga said the health inspectors were there not only to inspect products that were harmful but also to make sure that consumers ate foods that were germ free.

He said that once the laboratories were put in place, it would lessen the problems that consumers as well as vendors were faced with.




© 2005
Source: © 2005 Zambia Daily Mail.