LUSAKA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government is in the process of formulating a bill aimed at tightening surveillance on food-related diseases such as cholera, a senior health official said on Thursday.

The food safety bill will be taken to parliament next year for adoption as part of Zambia's efforts to strengthen its response to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, said Kennedy Malama, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health.

In remarks delivered when he met local importers and exporters of food, Malama said the bill will enable the Health Ministry to collaborate with food safety stakeholders in the fight against food contamination.

He called on food companies to put in place safety measures which will ensure that the entire food production chain is sanitized.

Zambia has reported outbreaks of food-related diseases such as cholera almost every year. A cholera outbreak of 2017 affected more than 5,000 people and left 114 dead. Enditem

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