Food vendors urged to embrace cooler bags to prevent food contamination

Food vendors across the country have been urged to embrace the use of cooler bags to avoid serving customers contaminated foods.

According to the Senior Communications Officer of the Ministry of Health, Edward Muganga, who represented the Acting Commissioner in charge of Health Promotion Richard Kabanda, such a great innovation would go a long way in transforming the movement of food from buckets to cooler bags which keep food warm for quite some time.

“This is a very good innovation from our very own young people based in Gulu district. It has been so challenging for food vendors in markets especially in Kampala, who would carry plates of food bare-handed to deliver to customers. I am very optimistic that with the launch of these modern lunch boxes, vendors will now be in position to serve safe and warm food to customers,” he highlighted

(L-R) Rose Nazziwa, Food vendor, Wandegeya Market receives a cooler bag from the Senior Communications Officer, Ministry of Health, Edward Muganga and Supervisor, Markets, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Moses Musiimire during the launch of the Gulu Made safe food market activation at Wandegeya market in Kampala on Friday May, 20 2023. Photo by Shamim Saad

Muganga noted that 65% of patients who visit public health facilities are either challenged with diarrhea or other diseases related to eating contaminated foods.

He cautioned the public against eating food or drinks from any vendors or restaurant, arguing they need to take an initiative to ensure the food they eat meets the required hygiene standards. 

“Ugandans are so reluctant that they can eat food from anywhere regardless of knowing the source of who prepared that food. When you eat contaminated food, you fall sick, and fail to work and if you don’t work, it means poverty will come in. My advice is, always consider hygiene first before you make your orders,” he said

The Sales and Marketing Manager, Gulu Made Designs, Doreen Nakimuli explains how the cooler bag works during the launch of the Gulu Made safe food market activation at Wandegeya market in Kampala on Friday May, 20 2023 as Aisha Nalukwago, Food Vendor looks on. Photo by Shamim Saad

Muganga was speaking during the launch of the Gulu Made Safe Food Market Activations held at Wandegeya market in Kampala on Friday  May 19.

The Markets Supervisor for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Moses Musiimire, applauded the brains behind the development and pledged to render all the necessary support to ensure that the project is rolled out to other markets in different divisions.

“With this innovation on board, I am very sure it will improve on the hygiene among the food vendors. As KCCA, we shall ensure that this innovation is taken to every market both private and public within the 5 divisions of Kampala so as to improve on food hygiene in our markets,” he stated.

The Sales and Marketing Manager, Gulu Made Designs, Doreen Nakimuli explains how the cooler bag works during the launch of the Gulu Made safe food market activation at Wandegeya market in Kampala on Friday May, 20 2023 as Aisha Nalukwago, Food Vendor looks on. Photo by Shamim Saad

Why the innovation

The Sales and Marketing Manager for Gulu Made Designs, Doreen Nakimuli, said they came up with the idea three years back to address the gap of the health standards for the movement of food from local markets to consumers easier and safer.

‘Women have been putting food in the buckets, to deliver to customers something that was so wrong since food would pour in the buckets and by the time it reaches the customer, it is already cold and not fit for human consumption,” she explained

They intend to donate over 200 free cooler bags to food vendors in a period four months and so far, about 20 food vendors at Wandegeya market have been given.

The Public Relations Officer for Gulu Made Designs, Seth Nuwagaba, said “We intend to reach out to all the markets in big cities in Uganda. We are targeting around 10,000 food vendors in Kampala and then move to bigger cities like Arua, Gulu, Soroti and Mbarara.”

Senior Communications Officer, Ministry of Health, Edward Muganga speaking during the launch of the Gulu Made safe food market activations at Wandegeya market in Kampala on Friday May, 20 2023. Photo by Shamim Saad

He said currently, they are already supplying Jumia food, one of their biggest clients and other big restaurants in town that are on the applications. He said the cooler bags prices will be subsidized and affordable to all vendors in the market.