Food safety remains a concern in South Sudan

January 26, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan is still faced with challenges of assuring food and drug quality control as the 18-month old country has not yet established facilities to certify the quality of consumable goods.

Tons of expired food commodities or with less quality ingredients as well as fake human and animal drugs are believed to have been finding their ways into the country every year without being detected by the authorities.

The government however on Friday announced seriousness to embark on ways and means of resolving the matter by establishing a standard laboratory for testing of food and drugs and avoid the health risks involved in the status quo.

This came in a meeting on Friday between the Vice President, Riek Machar Teny, and the senior management of Cometa Scientific Company which is based in the United Kingdom and expressed readiness to install a state-of-the-art laboratory.

He and the General Manager of Cometa Scientific Company, Glen Griffiths, who was also accompanied by an official from the ministry of Health, discussed the urgent need to establish a central laboratory in the capital with branches in the ten states of the country.

(ST)