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The Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) has expanded its use of nuclear technology to monitor and improve food safety in the country, Tanzania's The Citizen reported.

The TFDA has installed special laboratory equipment to detect and analyse metallic contaminants, pesticide residues and aflatoxins in food products.

"We are now implementing our new five-year strategic plan from 2012 to 2017," said TFDA Director General Hitti Sillo at the initiative's launch in Dar es Salaam on Sunday (August 26th). "Among the targets of this plan is to equip the TFDA laboratory to analyse veterinary drugs and pesticide residues in food by June 2015."

The initiative is supported the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has donated 345 million shillings ($220,000) for the project, as well as laboratory equipment valued at about 86 million shillings ($55,000).

Acting chief medical officer Donald Mmbando said the first phase of the nuclear food protection programme, which ran from 2007-2010, increased food safety in Tanzania, as food shipments found to have toxic contaminants were refused entry into the country.

"Monitoring products circulating in our markets is something that cannot be ignored in today's world, which has become a global village with free movement of goods," he said.