The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has inaugurated the Africa Centre for Food Integrity (AFIC), a new body set up to tackle food fraud, protect consumers and build confidence in African food products, Graphic Online reports.
The centre sits under UCC's College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CANS). According to Graphic Online, it will use scientific research, technological innovation and partnerships to promote food authenticity, safety and traceability across the continent.
Its work will cover the detection of adulteration, counterfeiting and mislabelling, along with the development of fast, low-cost tools for assessing food quality, safety and origin.
Why it matters
Food fraud affects public health, consumer trust and the standing of African products abroad. At the launch, UCC Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Christine Adu-Yeboah said integrity in food is essential for protecting health, sustaining buyer confidence and defending the reputation of African goods, according to Graphic Online.
She argued that solutions should be led by Africans and suited to local conditions, and that scientific innovation needs to sit closer to the places where food is grown and processed. She also stressed cooperation between researchers, industry, regulators and international partners.
Prof. Adu-Yeboah described AFIC as a base for advanced research, innovation and policy discussion aimed at food-integrity problems and stronger confidence in African food systems.
Honey case shows the cost of lost trust
Prof. Rofela Combey, Provost of CANS, pointed to the reported restriction of Ghanaian honey from the United Kingdom market as an illustration of how doubts about quality and authenticity can close off export markets and weaken confidence in local goods.
She said food fraud damages trust and puts businesses that meet quality standards at a disadvantage. In her view, protecting consumers and product integrity requires scientific evidence, effective regulation and sustained collaboration.
Prof. Combey called AFIC a platform for research, innovation, capacity building and partnerships across the food value chain.
Portable tools and a broad research agenda
Prof. Ernest Teye, who leads the centre, said AFIC was created to investigate food fraud and produce practical, science-based answers. It will work with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), industry and other stakeholders to improve detection of fraudulent practices, Graphic Online reports.
The centre plans to combine food science and engineering, spectroscopy, computer vision, artificial intelligence and data analytics to build rapid, affordable methods for checking authenticity, quality, safety and origin.
Its research areas include verifying spices such as ginger, turmeric and pepper; palm oil quality and authenticity; cocoa provenance and traceability; fish and seafood authentication; and the integrity of farm inputs including seeds and fertilisers.
A central aim, Prof. Teye said, is to move food analysis out of conventional laboratories. The centre intends to develop portable devices that give dependable results near farms, markets, processing sites and regulatory inspection points.
AFIC will also back postgraduate research, professional training and knowledge exchange to build expertise in Ghana and across Africa.
International voices back the centre
Prof. Chris Elliott, OBE, a UK-based food-integrity expert, said Africa has room to supply far more of the world's food. He cited figures showing the continent provides about four per cent of global food supply and said that share could rise above 25 per cent, according to Graphic Online.
Reaching that level, he said, would depend on stronger food systems, reliable quality assurance and greater confidence in the authenticity and safety of African agricultural products.
Israel's Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, H.E. Roey Gilad, welcomed the centre and said it could benefit farmers and deepen agricultural ties between Ghana and Israel. He expressed interest in possible support through MASHAV, Israel's international development cooperation agency, particularly in capacity building and technical expertise, and raised the idea of agreements with Israeli universities to boost research collaboration.
H.E. Gilad also toured the AFIC laboratory, where he saw a demonstration of the scientific methods and technologies the centre uses to detect food fraud and assess authenticity.
Management of CANS, members of the university community, FDA officials and sector stakeholders attended the launch.
The coming months will show how quickly AFIC turns its research agenda into working tools at markets and inspection points, and whether the partnerships discussed at the launch take formal shape.
