Food safety scandals are plaguing Africa. From contaminated meat to GMOs and toxic milk for babies, the dangers to people’s health from industrial food production are real. Here we highlight seven cases that reveal how big food corporations generate new risks, increase the potential for cross-border contamination, and leave consumers vulnerable to the fraudulent actions that affect food safety.
Smallholder farmers have long supplied Africans with safe and healthy foods, making Africa’s diets among the healthiest on the planet. However, multinational corporations are determined to aggressively take over Africa’s food systems.
Multinationals are ramping their production and supply of ultra-processed foods to the continent with dire results to people’s health. These goods, which range from tainted meat to GMOs and hazardous milk, are increasing the risk of contamination and putting consumers at risk of food safety breaches.
GRAIN and AFSA have gathered instances from around the African continent in the following booklet that illustrate the risks of the industrial food system while also demonstrating the resistance that is taking place. The food safety crises bolstered our thesis that the industrial food system is solely concerned with maximizing profit than nutrition or health.
