New equipment used to test food quality

New testing equipment has been introduced by the Iraqi Nutritional Research Institute (NRI) in order to improve the quality of both imported and locally produced food. The NRI is part of the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH) and staff up until now have been working with outdated equipment which didn't always provide accurate results. Sometimes tests had to be repeated to ensure accuracy. As a result doctors claim many people fell ill from eating tainted food. The NRI's work includes such studies as checking the chemical composition of water to prevent diseases such as goitre, a swelling in the neck caused by a lack of iodine in the diet. Checks are being carried out at restaurants and food shops. Health officials confirmed that the quality of food has not improved over the past year. "We can say that the results obtained now are the same as before the recent war and nearly 7 percent of the food tested was found to have some contamination," Dr Khalil Mehdi, director of the NRI, told IRIN in Baghdad. Mehdi added that one of the biggest problems was contamination due to poor personal hygiene when handling food by cooks or vendors, stressing that international hygiene laws need to be implemented to prevent disease. According to officials from the MoH, an agreement has been signed with Jordan to allow all food to be checked before entering Iraq. "This will guarantee better food quality to all Iraqis," a senior official told IRIN. Similar agreements are also due to be signed with Iran and Turkey. The NRI employs 40 staff scientists specialising in chemistry, physics and biology in the capital. There are three main branches countrywide. They are based in the southern cities of Basra and Najaf, and Mosul in the north, which also cover other provinces in Iraq. All of the NRI branches have received new equipment to help them work more efficiently. The building in Baghdad, which was damaged during the war, has been completely repaired with support from the United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the agency is helping them develop nutritional projects. New equipment was also donated by the World Health Organization (WHO). There are future plans for the centre to work with UNICEF and the Ministry of Trade on a scheme to add higher levels of iron to imported flour to provide a more nutritionally balanced bread. The MoH is also tightening controls over the importation of certain types of goods. Some food previously imported into the country has been banned by the MoH because of health concerns. Pay and conditions have also been improved for staff. During Saddam Hussein's regime, the employees of the centre were receiving less than the equivalent of US $2 per month but today they are receiving around $300, a better incentive, workers told IRIN. "I love to do my job, but I was getting really stressed out. But now I am receiving a better salary, I just want to get on with my work because now I feel that my job has more value," Dr Yasmin Sinan, told IRIN. In addition, employees have been sent outside Iraq for training to countries to which access was forbidden during Saddam's regime. Kuwait, Sweden and England have all offered expertise and training.