Africa-Press – Tanzania. STAKEHOLDERS and various Civil Society Organizations in the agriculture sector, especially on food production have proposed that ongoing food discussion in the country ahead of the New York Summit in September should focus not only on quantity, but also on protecting health of Tanzanians.
Speaking at the National Food Systems Dialogue for Non State Actors in Dodoma recently, they said that food security is in danger due to improper use of industrial fertilizers, pesticides and crop preservatives, factors that affect food intake as a result of chemical contamination.
They equally noted that when food is unsafe, its quality turns into toxins and contribute to non-communicable diseases, currently killing 41 million people every year, equivalent to 71 per cent of all deaths globally.
Speaking during a panel discussion organized by the umbrella linking Agricultural Non State Actors Forum (ANSAF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Neema Rugangira, Special Seats Member of Parliament representing CSOs, said food security is about selling safe and nutritious food.
“The government is expected to use these and other ongoing comments across the country to contribute to various food related policies and present them at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FSS) conference to be held in New York USA in September this year,” she pointed out.
Other participants in the debate were Vi Agroforestry, various UN institutions, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Tanzania Youth Coalition (TYC) She warned that there is a high use of fertilizers, pesticides and crop preservatives, which contaminate food and threaten the lives of consumers.
“You find tomatoes being sprayed today and tomorrow it is in the market… the cow is injected today and tomorrow the milk is sent to the market. There is no food safety,” she pointed out.
Elaborating, she suggested that the National Nutrition Policy needed also to be revised, since it was reviewed and came into force in 1993.
“Food safety is very important because it is about people’s health, that is why I have succeeded in persuading Parliament to have a group of leading food safety MPs to advise the government and other stakeholders on the importance of ensuring the safety and quality of food consumed by Tanzanians,” the lawmaker said
