3.4. Food and Environmental Safety

• Study on naturally and manmade environmental pollutants with respect to food production, preparation & processing & contaminations carried out in the environment and give support advice for program management (planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation) in many sectors including food security (agriculture & livestock), health, water and sanitation, education and environment.
• Characterize & identify the accumulation of hazard and toxic substances in aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals in the food chain & influence responsible to protect the environment for healthfulness of the population

These Research components under respective teams are organized to undertake Food Science research activities accordingly and very few numbers of (11) researchers; (2 PhDs, including director (18.2%), 7 MScs (63.6%) and 2 BScs (18.2%) holders) having pertinent professions are transferred from IQQO research centers, insufficient junior researchers are recruited and we still critically anticipate more researchers and Laboratory technicians to be recruited yearly to fill the human power gap.

Achievements

Since the establishment of Food Science Research Directorate (2015), a number of research activities have been proposed and carried out by these researchers supported by IQQO and the previous AGP-II and the current FSRP budgets. Some of the completed activities have been reviewed during the IQQO annual regional completed research review workshops and published in the proceedings of AGP-II, Crop and Livestock research directorates as well as Food Science Research Directorate completed research proceeding, volume-I and II in the past six years and volume –III proceeding is on the process of publishing in this year (2024) following the IQQO’s regional annual completed research review Workshop of 2023.

Dereje Welteji  (PhD)

Senior Researcher and Director of Food Science

Phone: +251-911860076

e-mail: derejew2010@gmail.com 

Finfinne, Ethiopia