UCC inaugurates centre to tackle food fraud in Africa

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has officially launched the Africa Centre for Food Integrity (AFIC) with the aim of tackling food safety and quality issues in Ghana and across Africa. The centre, established by the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CANS), will develop AI-powered technologies to assess food quality in real-time, addressing challenges like food contamination and fraud.

These technologies could someday mimic human senses to authenticate food safety and quality. AFIC will collaborate with stakeholders such as the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Ghana Standards Authority, farmers and other universities to safeguard public health, livelihoods and food trade trust. Food fraud, the deliberate adulteration or misrepresentation of food for financial gain, can endanger public health.

For example, some activities in Ghana include adulterating palm oil with Sudan IV dye or mixing ginger powder with sawdust. AFIC aims to build a sustainable food system that supports the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as food is the foundation of every SDG. Experts emphasize that Africa must address food safety risks, trade barriers and contaminated products to unlock its vast agricultural potential and increase its share of global food exports.

With about 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land, Africa currently accounts for less than 4% of global food exports. AFIC will serve as a continental hub for knowledge, expertise and technology sharing among governments, regulators, industry players and researchers to protect food integrity.