About us

The National Food Safety Institute (NFSI) is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated under the Companies Act to undertake research and development, innovations and digitization, conformity assessment and training and advisory services in areas of food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS), quality and standards and trade. The NFSI was established to bridge the gaps in the scientific knowledge, skills and technology as needed to inculcate a food safety and quality culture in Uganda and Africa, enhance health and welfare of consumers and trading in better markets.

The NFSI was established by Food Safety Associates Limited (FSA) with approval of government to collaborate with national and continental stakeholders to bring forth scientific knowledge, skills and approaches to food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary, quality and standards and trade related innovations, technologies, techniques and practices as needed to promote a food safety and quality culture, enhancing trade in better markets and health and welfare of consumers. After more than 15 years’ operating to fix food safety, SPS, quality and standards and related trade challenges in Uganda and several countries in Africa, Food Safety Associates Limited realized that there were limitations in its mandate as a private for-profit making company that would not allow it to contribute to solutions for some of the challenges that impact on food safety and quality as a public good. These challenges required another organizational structure that would make it possible to collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to seek a collective solution to challenges especially that impact small scale operators, less resourced communities and those operating in areas with limited reach of essential expertise, services and inputs to enable them acquire appropriate knowledge, skills, technologies, techniques and practices needed to produce, trade, access and consume safer and better-quality food.

Since 2013, some of the services offered by the National Food Safety Institute (NFSI) were rendered by Food Safety Associates Limited through the National Food Safety Foundation, one of the departments of FSA at the time, that was responsible for undertaking research and some innovative activities aimed to identify feasible food safety practices for agri-food value chains. Later, in 2024 through consultation with government and other key stakeholders, it was decided to establish the NFSI as an independent organization with larger mandate covering research and development, innovations, conformity assessment, and training and advisory services. The training component was moved from FSA where training services were offered through the Food Safety Academy that operated also as a department offering certificate courses in food safety and related fields. Under the National Food Safety Institute, the scope of the training programs was expanded to include certificate and diploma courses in food safety, quality and related fields.

The National Food Safety Institute operates four directorates each for Research and Development; Innovations and Digitization; Conformity Assessment and Training and Advisory services.