As Uganda marked World Food Safety Day on June 7, food safety advocates warned that unsafe food handling practices have become so common that many people no longer recognize the risks. From street vendors using dirty cloths and unhygienic packaging to poor transport and storage of fresh produce, unsafe practices are widespread across the food chain. Public health experts, civil society groups and consumer rights organizations say this growing complacency has created a silent food safety crisis affecting farms, markets, kitchens and households across the country.
According to the Food Rights Alliance, about 1.3 million Ugandans suffer food-borne illnesses each year, with contaminated food accounting for around 14% of diseases treated nationwide. Fresh produce is responsible for more than 60% of these cases, yet food contamination often goes unnoticed because symptoms such as stomach aches, diarrhoea and vomiting are commonly dismissed.
Food Rights Alliance Executive Director Agnes Kirabo warns that unsafe food practices have become normalized, creating a hidden public health crisis. Despite Uganda's reputation as the "food basket of East Africa," experts say consumers are increasingly exposed to invisible hazards, including aflatoxins in staple crops, excessive pesticide and antibiotic residues, contaminated water, unsafe additives, poor storage and inadequate hygiene practices.
Food safety experts warn that many everyday habits in homes, schools, restaurants and markets are contributing to food contamination. Bernard Bwambale says unsafe practices have become normalized, with people overlooking simple risks that compromise food safety.
These include family members washing their hands in the same basin, storing raw meat above ready-to-eat foods, using dirty cloths to dry dishes, washing vegetables with contaminated water and sharing serving utensils. While these practices may seem harmless, experts say they collectively increase the risk of food-borne illnesses.
Food safety experts say environmental protection is essential to ensuring safe food. Shafic Kagimu warned that communities in Kalangala District and Buvuma District are concerned about chemical runoff from oil palm plantations contaminating water sources and contributing to declining fish stocks. He stressed that polluted ecosystems threaten the entire food chain, making environmental health a key food safety issue.
Although Uganda has laws and institutions responsible for food safety, advocates say weak coordination among agencies and outdated legislation, including the 1959 Food and Drugs Act, have created gaps in enforcement and oversight.
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