Nairobi — As the world marks Food Safety Day, Upfield, the largest plant-based consumer products company in the world and manufacturer of Blueband range of products has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining food safety standards for consumers to fully benefit from the nutritional value of its products.

Upfield East and Southern Africa Managing Director, Peter Muchiri says the company has the policy to ensure the quality of its products is protected and continuously improved at every stage from product design, and production, to the point of sale.

"Upfield has a strict escalation process in place to protect against non-compliance to our Quality Management System. We also make sure any quality or safety concerns voiced by our consumers are escalated and responded to appropriately. This process ensures our consumers can enjoy high-quality products on every occasion," he said.

Last year, the company achieved the coveted Food Management System Standard Certification FSSC22000 that focuses on assuring end to end food safety, an indication of the quality of its products.

Additionally, its Kenya factory has an A classification for the Internationally recognised annual AIB unannounced quality audit which focuses on good manufacturing practices.

This year's World Food Safety Day is being commemorated under the theme "Safer food, better health" and will draw attention to the need to prioritise food safety throughout the whole supply chain, from farm to table.

According to the World Health Organisation, unsafe foods are the cause of many diseases and contribute to other poor health conditions, such as impaired growth and development, micronutrient deficiencies, non-communicable or communicable diseases and mental illness.

Globally, one in ten people are affected by foodborne diseases annually