FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo

Jul 13 , 2019
By BERHANE HAILEMARIAM ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

The recent ban on processed food products by the Food & Drug Authority (FDA) pushed the total number of items banned to 103 in the current fiscal year.

Last week the Authority banned 57 processed food products under eight categories. The banned food types include 15 brands of candy; three honey and 11 table salt brands; eight peanut butter and two edible oil brands. Seven types of baby food; five brands of Vimto, a sweet tonic beverage; and six types of vinegar were also banned from the market.

The ban was triggered, because the products exhibited no descriptions about their production or expiry dates, level of nutrients, nor where the product was processed or by whom, according to the Authority.



Hayat and Abet table salts; Desta and Abbysina peanut butter; Adeya Abeba and Qemer oils; Misale and Elemo baby foods; and Deko Vimto, Zagol and Viking vinegar are among the banned food items.


For instance, some salt packages contain no indication of what the iodine content is, according to Samson Abraham, head of public relations at the Authority.

Ahead of the ban, the Authority had conducted a four-week survey by its inspectors at shops and supermarkets across the city.




Notices have been distributed to consumers not to use food products that have no labels on the packages that describe its origin, nutrition level, production and expiry dates and other necessary indicators, according to Samson.

The Authority has ordered the producers, distributors and retailers in all business locations to remove the products from the shelf within a given time period and has instructed inspection bodies at every branch of the Authority to follow up with the enactment.


In order to trace the producers, the products should have labels that show the details of addresses, product content, production and expiry dates, according to the Authority's requirement.

The first thing to assure is that packages fulfill labeling requirements, according to Yilma Mengistu, director of standards at the Agency.

"If the product has fulfilled the standards of labeling and packaging, then the quality issues can be raised," he said.

Aynadis Tamene (PhD), lecturer and microbiologist at Addis Abeba University's School of Food Science & Nutrition, agrees with the measures taken by the Authority.


There must be no ambiguity, especially on the industrially-processed and packed food products in identifying the origin, the nutrients, the production and expiry date of the product, according to him.

“Considering table salt, adding iodine during salt production is necessary for health, especially for the cognitive development of children," he said.

The iodine content should be set within the range of the World Health Organization's standards and adopted by the Ethiopian Standards Agency, according to him. The expert also advises to carefully select peanut butter, as it is prone to a fungus called Aflatoxin, which is believed to cause cancer.

Aynadis also suggests, besides controlling deceptive trade practices, that the Authority has to focus on regular awareness creation programmes concerning the negative effects for producers, processors and end users by using media outlets such as television for best result.

Last month, the Authority took the same measure in banning 46 food products including some edible oils, baby foods and table salt brands for not having labels that provide information about the products.


PUBLISHED ON Jul 13,2019 [ VOL 20 , NO 1002]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Tariffs Protectionism's False Promises

The world economy awaits with dread the arrival of Donald Trump's trade tariffs. Trum...

Can Building Public Tech Infrastructure Turn to Dystopian Dangers?

In recent years, the concept of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has gained consid...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Banks Struggle to Lend as Branches Bloom, Coffers Wither

A severe cash shortage squeezes the economy, and the deposit-to-loan ratio has slumpe...

The Year That Falls Short in Lofty Ambitions, Brittle Realities

Jan 4 , 2025

Time seldom passes without prompting reflection, and the dawn of 2025 should nudge Et...

The Bureaucrats Turn to Masters of Misrule, Architects of Uncertainty

Dec 28 , 2024

On a flight between Juba and Addis Abeba, Stefan Dercon, a professor of economic poli...

Addis Abeba's Gleaming Facade Masks a Parched Metropolis

Dec 21 , 2024

The main avenues and thoroughfares of Addis Abeba have undergone an impressive faceli...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

Pride Overpowers Empathy, Civility

Last weekend, my family and I set out for a simple visit to relatives in the Old Airport neighbourhood. What should have been a routine trip...

A Brief Encounter Turned to a Lifetime of Inspiration

Reading about Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, left a lasting impact on me in law s...

Life Matters

The Burden of Beauty, Pressure for Perfection

Ethiopia's kaleidoscope of skin tones reflects its rich diversity. Complexion varies not just between ind...

Raising Children Takes a Village

Parenting is a journey, filled with unexpected challenges and moments of reckoning. Recently, I found myself confronting a dilemma that test...