World Food Day: How Bidco Uganda Limited is Ensuring Safety and Quality in Its Production Processes

Bidco Uganda Limited (BUL) is the home of some of Uganda's most loved brands for edible oils and fats, hygiene and personal care, and food products. BUL are the producers of edible oils (Fortune Butto, Fortune Gold, Fortune, Golden Fry, and Fortune Sunflower Oil), spices (Fortune Nuunu & Nyama Binzari), vegetable fats (Kimbo, Cowboy, Chipo & Chipsy), detergents (White Star Magic & Blue Breeze), laundry soaps (Blue Magic, White Star, Light Star, Brown Soap, Kuku, Brown Soap-Star Natural, Bul Star, and Bull) and food (Fortune Spaghetti, Fortune Tambi).

In recognition of World Food Day, marked every October 16, to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945, the institution reflected on its journey while ensuring safety and quality. This year's celebration was held under the theme “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future.” The theme is a reminder of the universal right to adequate food while highlighting the importance of diverse, nutritious, and sustainable diets for all.

"Food security is not just about the quantity, but it is about the quality." Saba Ghirmai, BUL's Head of Quality Assurance and Food Safety, said in an interview. "Many families might have food but may not be nutritious or safe."

So, she added, "Food safety is very important."

According to Saba, without safe food, "we cannot talk about food security."

Saba warns that foodborne illnesses remain a significant threat to public health, particularly among the vulnerable population.

Therefore, she said, "It is good to implement strong food safety standards and better enforcement of the existing regulatory requirements to protect consumers. That is why BUL invested a lot of money to ensure that all our operations are in line with the international food safety standard, such as the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) to make sure we deliver safe products to customers."

Palm oil, which BUL uses in the production of cooking oil, is an excellent source of tocotrienols which is a form of vitamin E with strong antioxidant properties that might support human brain health. It is also rich in carotenoids that the body can convert into Vitamin A. Similarly, sunflower is also rich in vitamins A, E, and Selenium (good for reproduction & thyroid gland function). These function as antioxidants to protect our body cell against free radical damage, which plays a role in several chronic diseases.

Spaghetti, on the other hand, is a source of dietary fibre, carbohydrates, and other micronutrients. It helps the body by boosting energy and digestive health.

As part of the regulatory requirements, Saba adds that "all BUL products are fortified with Vitamin A."

"By doing this, we are targeting the less privileged people. 20% of Ugandan children suffer from vitamin A deficiency. We are doing this to make sure that there are no deficiencies or any other deficiencies related to those categories of people," Saba adds. "All these align with the theme of this year's World Food Day."