African Journal of Food Science Vol. 4(7), pp. 444 - 457, July  2010

ISSN 1996-0794 © 2010 Academic Journals  

Full Length Research Paper

Food safety - related control measures in emerging aquaculture enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa: Compliance of Uganda’s operations against international market requirements   Ananias Bagumire1*, Ewen C. D. Todd2, George W. Nasinyama3 and Charles Muyanja4   1United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Programme on Trade Capacity Building in Agro-Industry Products for Establishment and Proof of Compliance with International Market Requirements, East African Community Secretariat, Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC), P. O. Box 1096, Arusha, Tanzania. 2Food Safety Policy Center and Department of Advertising, Public Relations, and Retailing; Communications Arts Sciences Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. 3Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Makerere University, P. O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda. 4Department of Food Science and Technology, Makerere University, P.O Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.   *Corresponding author. E-mail:ananiasbagumire@yahoo.com.  Tel: +256 77 2 475784.   Accepted 25 June, 2010

Abstract

Selected commercial aquaculture enterprises in Uganda were evaluated for compliance with internationally recommended food safety-related control measures. Food hazard control measures at potential critical control points of: farm siting, farm facilities and premises, and facilities for feed processing and storage, chemical storage, drug storage and waste storage were evaluated. Requirements for traceability, legal and certification, standard sanitation operating procedures and food safety skills for farm workers were the other measures evaluated. On a scale of 0 - 5 where 0 denotes none, 1 very low, 2 low, 3 acceptable, 4 almost total and 5, full compliance, the majority of control points evaluated had average scores below 3, a minimum acceptable level of compliance with international guidelines. Feed processing and storage areas were the most deficient of the potential critical control points. Other significant deficiencies occurred in requirements for traceability of fish and use of on-farm standard sanitation operating procedures. Veterinary drug use, a common problem with aquaculture exports, was not an issue since none of the farms was highly intensive – a practice that would increase the risk of infestation of fish with pathogens and raise the need for use of drugs. The compliance gap requires food safety policy and practice interventions in Uganda and other sub-Saharan countries that plan to export products to highly regulated markets like in the European Union.

Key words: Uganda, food safety, control measures, aquaculture compliance, Sub-Saharan Africa, international market requirements.