ABSTRACT
Unfortunately, the food safety systems in most countries of the region (Africa) are generally weak, fragmented and not well coordinated; and thus are not effective enough to adequately protect the health of consumers and to enhance the competitiveness of food exports. 1
While the EU updated its food safety standards in the aftermath of the BSE crisis, African countries are still mired in a crisis of a paucity of food safety standards. African countries continue to lag behind in food safety standards, with devastating consequences. For instance, the World Health Organization Regional Offi ce for Africa reports:
The year 2008 recorded an unprecedented incidence of food borne diseases in the African Region including: anthrax in Zimbabwe; typhoid fever in Uganda; chemical poisoning due to consumption of seed beans and maize in Nigeria and Kenya; cholera from several countries e.g. Mozambique, Nigeria, Congo, Zambia, DRC, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe; pesticide poisoning from cabbage and other vegetables in Senegal; fi sh mouse in Mauritius; mushroom poisoning in Algeria; Botulism and Hepatitis A in Uganda (. . .). 2
[In Africa] Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, caused 55,812 illnesses and 709 deaths in 13 countries from January to May 2015 (. . .) Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) caused 19,824 illnesses and 9 deaths in 4 countries from January to May 2015. 3
1 FAO/WHO, ‘Final Report on: Regional Conference on Food Safety for Africa Harare, Zimbabwe, 3-6 October 2005’ 47, <www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/010/a0215e/A0215E00.htm>; accessed 10 January 2015.
