Strengthening of Food Control Services in Zambia — A Case Study

Abstract

Improvement of public health and consumer protection by ensuring adequate and safe food is one of the important aims of any national food and nutrition policy. While planning for the supply of a balanced diet for the population with all the necessary body-building nutrients, vitamins, minerals and amino-acids required for the human system at an economical price, it has also to be ensured that the supply of food to the consumer is wholesome, unadulterated, processed and handled in a hygienic manner, and above all, free from any substance toxic to the human system. The latter aspect of the protection of the consumer, commonly known as food control, has thus to be an essential element in the implementation of any national food and nutrition policy. In this paper it is proposed to elaborate i) why a good infrastructure for food control is necessary for any country and, ii) our experience in developing a food control system, so that those countries wishing to strengthen their existing system of food control or institute a food control system where it does not exist, could benefit from our experience. I shall first deal with the issue at i) namely, the motivating factors for food control.