Meat sold in Fort Portal unfit for human consumption – Survey
The study also revealed that milk sold on the streets and dairy farms in Fort Portal Tourism City is contaminated with coliforms, making it unfit for consumption.
By Evalist Mpamizo
Fort Portal: A survey carried out by Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC) has revealed that most butchers in Fort Portal Tourism City are selling meat contaminated with coliforms, making it unfit for human consumption.
This was unearthed in the survey that was conducted between August and October 2023. Coliforms are bacteria that are always present in human waste. They are also found in soil material.
Speaking at the release of the report at Musisi Hall in Booma Fort Portal recently, Benard Bwambale, a nutritionist at KRC-Uganda who was also on the lead investigation team, said it was found out that most meat in Fort Portal is unfit for human consumption.
According to Bwambale, the meat samples picked from Mpanga, Kachwamba, and Kasusu markets in the Central Division failed all the tests they were subjected to at the UNBS Laboratory in Kampala. Only the meat samples picked from Kabaundaire Market passed the tests.
The report mentioned poor meat handling from abattoirs to butchers, blending old meat with fresh meat, and poor hygiene of the abattoirs as some of the issues that make meat unfit for consumption.
The study also revealed that milk sold on the streets and dairy farms in Fort Portal Tourism City is contaminated with coliforms, making it unfit for consumption.
Bwambale said milk samples from outlets in Kabundaire, Kachwamba, Kasusu, and Mpanga found all the milk contaminated with bacteria from fecal matter.
The study was aimed at establishing the safety of milk and how it can be improved. Researchers paid attention to, among others, milk handling practices. It involved assessing milking containers, transportation, and how it’s handled at the outlet.
Other produce subjected to the tests at the UNBS laboratory in Kampala, such as cassava flour, ground nuts, maize flour, rice, and soy bean flour, was found to be free from aflatoxins.
Commenting on the survey, Lucy Kahunde, the Senior Health Inspector at Fort Portal, noted that the city is carrying out sensitization drives among food dealers on observing standards.
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