KAMPALA, Uganda—Uganda has cautioned her people against consuming meat products from South Africa.
According to a statement by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) the body in charge of maintaining standards, it warned the public on importation, sale and consumption of South African processed meat products after a Listeriosis (listeria) outbreak linked to pre-packaged and ready-to-eat meat products. This outbreak has so far killed 180 people in South Africa.
UNBS said some of the suspected pre-packaged products from South Africa include, ready-to-eat deli meats (polony, ham, salami, etc.), hot dogs, refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads, sausages, etc.
It said in order to ensure the health and safety of the public, UNBS is carrying out market surveillance inspections in all super markets that are said to be main importers of South African meat products.
This is to ensure that affected products are removed from the market. Analysis of related products is also being carried out to ensure there has been no cross-contamination.
Furthermore, All UNBS imports inspectors at border points have been notified to withhold consignments of all pre-packaged and ready-to-eat meat products from South Africa until further notice.
UNBS therefore called upon consumers to avoid buying the above mentioned products originating from South Africa until they have been cleared by UNBS.
UNBS said it will continue to perform its mandate of enforcing standards to protect consumer health and safety and the environment against dangerous and sub-standard products
