Advanced Laboratory tools to bolster food fortification control in Ethiopia
๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด ๐๐ฃ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข โ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฆ 28, 2025 โ EFDA is significantly strengthening its efforts to ensure the quality and safety of fortified foods, particularly wheat flour and edible oil, through the deployment of modern laboratory equipment and enhanced expert training.
According to Ato Wosenyeleh Ambaw, Lead Executive for Food Safety and Quality Testing at the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, the authority is committed to intensifying its food fortification monitoring through rigorous laboratory testing. This initiative includes bolstering the capacity of its experts.
The EFDA’s food laboratory is now utilizing advanced instruments such as LC-TQ, ICP-MS, and HPLC. These sophisticated machines are crucial for verifying that wheat flour and edible oil are fortified with the appropriate levels of essential nutrients.
In a collaborative effort with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN Ethiopia), the EFDA is providing practical, hands-on training to its laboratory professionals, including staff from EFDA branch offices. Ato Wosenyeleh emphasized that this move will significantly enhance the authority’s capabilities in food quality and safety control.
Ethiopia has made the fortification of wheat flour with B-complex vitamins and zinc, and edible oil with vitamins A and D, mandatory to combat widespread micronutrient deficiencies. Ato Wosenyeleh clarified that the EFDA is responsible for ensuring these products meet the necessary quality and safety standards both before and after they are released to the market.
The EFDA plays a vital role in regulating fortified foods. With food fortification being a mandatory standard, the authority is resolutely working to safeguard public health through these crucial efforts.
