This archive report was first published on 6 December 2019.
December 6, 2019
Uganda's Masaka municipal council has taken a significant step towards ensuring food safety by issuing guidelines regulating the handling of grasshoppers.
The regulations, which take immediate effect, require all grasshopper vendors to register with local authorities and undergo medical examination to ascertain their health status.
According to the circular issued by the Masaka Municipal Health department, vendors must also pay for permits allowing them to operate in the municipality and maintain high levels of personal hygiene.
The guidelines ban the use of formalin to preserve grasshoppers and prohibit children below 14 years from selling the edible insects.
Mr. John Bahengaana, the Masaka town clerk, who signed the circular, warned that those who fail to comply with the guidelines will be prosecuted.
He cited poor sanitary standards among grasshopper dealers as a major concern, with some vendors lying on the floor while waiting for customers, leading to contamination of edible insects and health problems.
However, some grasshopper vendors have dismissed claims of using dangerous chemicals to preserve the insects, attributing stomach upsets to customers' failure to wash the grasshoppers thoroughly before cooking.
Ms. Janipher Kabagambe, a grasshopper vendor in Masaka, welcomed the regulations, saying they will help put things in order and improve hygiene among vendors.
Kuraish Katongole, the chairperson of grasshopper dealers in Masaka District, pledged to work with the municipal authorities to harmonize their position on the enforcement of the policy without forcing vendors out of business.
