Over 34,000 food and health-re...

Over 34,000 food and health-related establishments inspected in the 2018 fiscal year.
March 2, 2019
The Addis Ababa Food and Medicine Authority conducted inspections of 34,258 food and health-related establishments—including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and service providers—during the 2018 fiscal year.
The inspections were carried out using a system based on internal quality control, risk-based inspections (targeting establishments that could pose a threat to the public), routine inspections, and responses to tips or reports.
Action was taken against a total of 1,542 food and health-related establishments due to legal violations identified during the inspections. Of these, 1,241 establishments were issued written warnings and required to rectify their issues. Additionally, 176 establishments were temporarily sealed, halting their operations until they could correct the identified deficiencies.
Three establishments were penalized by having their certificates of competence revoked and being required to surrender their business licenses; these measures were taken due to violations such as operating outside their authorized scope of work and selling substandard products or providing substandard services. Furthermore, four individuals found engaging in or colluding in illegal activities have been held legally accountable.
During its regulatory operations, the Authority disposed of products—including food, beverages, health-related items, as well as spoiled or health-hazardous materials—with an estimated value of 194,924,932 Birr. Of this total, products valued at approximately 135 million Birr were disposed of during inspections, while items worth 59,924,932 Birr were disposed of following requests for disposal.
Additionally, illegal tobacco products valued at approximately 10 million Birr—found being sold in violation of the Tobacco Control Proclamation No. 1112/2011—were disposed of.
As stated by the Authority, the primary objective of these regulatory activities is to safeguard public health and safety by ensuring that the food and health-related products and services provided to the public comply with legal requirements and standards.