Mars to drive food safety in Africa with WFP

Mars, Incorporated and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are to partner in a move which will improve the provision of safe, locally-sourced food to those in need in Africa.

The two-year partnership will advance the way in which WFP works with its suppliers in Africa – establishing new food safety guidelines for local suppliers in-country to improve the availability of safe foods for those in need.

WFP's policy is to buy food as close as possible to where it is needed - to help sustain local economies as well as to save time and money. It purchases more than two million metric tons of food every year and at least three quarters of it comes from developing countries - including over 790 metric tons in Africa in 2013 alone.

Through the partnership, Mars will provide technical expertise to inform the food safety processes of WFP, and will fund the hire of a new, full-time expert within WFP based in Nairobi, dedicated to food safety. This new hire will lead the implementation of expanded food safety initiatives in Africa, working with local suppliers to improve procurement of food products. Mars will use its vast experience in this area to guide this process through workshops, auditing of suppliers and lab analyses.

Dave Crean, vp, corporate research and development, Mars, Incorporated commented: “Unsafe food has serious consequences for health, but it can also lead to loss of supply chains and cripple economies by preventing countries from being able to meet import standards in developed markets. Aflatoxin – a common naturally occurring fungal toxin – negatively impacts the health of millions of people every year and is a particularly difficult challenge in Africa. Mars hopes to share its knowledge, expertise and capabilities to help mitigate the risk of aflatoxin and other food safety risks.”