Learn the medicinal value in food with Taimex
According to Dr Tamale, nutrigenomics involves eating foods that are compatible with one’s blood group and genetic formation.
Beyond farming techniques and agribusiness strategies, visitors were also educated about the food they eat and its impact on their health at the Taimex Nutrition Centre. (Photos by Miriam Namutebi)
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The Harvest Money Expo 2026 took place from February 27 to March 1 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds under the theme Farming as a Business. For those who attended, the grounds offered a wealth of knowledge.
From learning which crops suit particular soils, to identifying the appropriate machinery and understanding value addition, the expo provided practical guidance for farmers seeking to grow their enterprises. Organised by Vision Group, the event was sponsored by Tunga Nutrition, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, ENGSOL, aBi, Pearl Bank and Uganda Development Corporation.
Other sponsors included Heifer International, Roke Telecom, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark, Pepsi and the Uganda Revenue Authority.
Beyond farming techniques and agribusiness strategies, visitors were also educated about the food they eat and its impact on their health at the Taimex Nutrition Centre. Dr Ismail Tamale of Taimex explained that their participation was intentional.
“We realised that farmers produce food and food is what we use at Taimex to treat people through nutrigenomics,” he said.
According to Dr Tamale, nutrigenomics involves eating foods that are compatible with one’s blood group and genetic formation. He argued that many of the diseases and conditions people suffer from are linked to diet.
“High blood pressure, asthma, cancers and ulcers, among others, are not caused by indigenous micro-organisms. They are caused by food, treated by food and vaccinated using food,” he said.
Dr Tamale emphasised the importance of individuals understanding their blood group and phenotype - their observable genetic characteristics - in order to determine the most suitable diet.
“If people took the trouble to find out their blood group and phenotype, we would guide them on the right diet,” he explained. “We can tell you that you can take coffee but not tea; yoghurt but not milk.”
He added that food, when correctly matched to an individual’s genetic profile, becomes part of a broader health strategy.
“All these foods are the medicine, alongside the exercise profile and lifestyle strategy,” he said.
At a farming expo focused on productivity and profitability, Taimex’s message served as a reminder that agriculture does not end at harvest or market. The food farmers grow ultimately shapes the health and wellbeing of consumers.
For many visitors, the session highlighted the link between agriculture and preventive healthcare. If food can harm, it can also heal - depending on how it is grown, prepared and consumed.
As the Harvest Money Expo continues to position farming as a business, exhibitors such as Taimex are expanding the conversation to include the medicinal value of food. In doing so, they reinforce the idea that what is cultivated on the farm has consequences far beyond income - it has the potential to influence the nation’s health.