Introduction
The large segment of African population is facing a difficulty in meeting the dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The rapidly growing population and traditional farming and agricultural production system pose a challenge and difficulties for African countries in their fight against food insecurity. In this context, increasing the productivity of the food and agriculture systems is an essential condition for long-term food security and sustainable development. And, raising the level of development and application of appropriate technologies for production and processing of safe and nutritious food constitute one of the fundamental elements of any strategy aiming at boosting and sustaining productivity in food.
Ethiopia is among the developing countries registering remarkable economic growth with a significantly boosting manufacturing sector. The government of Ethiopia has developed a strategy plan “Ethiopia 2030: The Pathway to Prosperity Ten Years Perspective Development Plan (2021 – 2030)”) to transform the country’s economy and become “an African beacon of prosperity”. Expanding manufacturing sector, which have high job creation potentials is seen as one of the strategy. The food and beverages manufacturing industry is the leading manufacturing sector comprising 26.4% of the manufacturing sector. About 50% of these are located in Addis Ababa. As the dominant manufacturing sub-sector, the food processing industry includes, industrial groups consisting of thousands of factories.
However, in order to make remarkable changes and gain economic benefits from the sector for the country, this manufacturing sub-sector needs to be supported by professional consultations and trainings aiming to fill the gap in knowledge and skills, develop and implement new production systems to improve processing techniques, and provide support to solve the difficulties in acquiring the necessary production inputs including raw materials and processing equipment. These requires the participation of a multidiscipline including agricultural production, food science and technology, public health, toxicology, microbiology, chemistry and food law and others.
Hence the main reason for the establishment of “Universal Food Consulting Services ” as a division of Universal Services Development Pvt. Ltd. Co. is to take its own part in solving the difficulties and challenges seen in the country’s food processing industries based on the broad and in depth knowledge and skill we have in collaboration with other concerned bodies.
About Us
Universal Food Consulting Services is a division of Universal Services Development Co. with a team of prominent experts in food microbiology and chemistry, food processing and technology who are dedicated to provide training and consultation for food producers, processors and distributors. In collaboration with education and research institutes, it has the experience and expertise who participate in designing and undertaking research in food processing, nutrition and food safety.
Universal Food Consulting Services can play a vital role in mitigating food safety and processing through consultancy services and giving an up to date trainings at all levels. Universal Food Consulting Services focuses on raising food hygiene & quality standard awareness in establishments engaged in catering, processing and distribution of food products. Food processing plants design and implementation, food processing engineering, fermentation processes technology, new product development, production management, marketing and business skills development, research and development, and social and environmental impact assessment and food safety and quality management systems are among the services that Universal Food Consulting Services can provide to its customers.
Our company works in collaboration with different experts from various food processing plants and academicians with different professional backgrounds from universities, and sectorial Industries. Hence, we can play an important role in mitigating food safety and processing problems through consultancy services and by giving up-to-date food safety/processing trainings at all levels.
Our Vision
Universal Food Consulting Services is established aiming to provide solution for food processing and safety problems faced in the Ethiopia’s food processing industries through professional consultancy services. The core visions are listed as follow.
- To solve any management and production problems starting from raw material in take to final product dispatch;
- To solve any management and production problems starting from raw material in take to final product dispatch;
- To develop and use traditional food preservation techniques to reduce postharvest loss;
- To develop and distribute new products such as fortified and supplemented food products (infant, pregnant and lactating women, children, elderly);
- To provide support to emerging food industries to produce safe food for consumers and enhance their sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity to meet local, regional or international regulations to export their food products
- To provide trainings on new production systems, food quality and safety management systems.
To work closely with the regulatory bodies by supporting all value actors to abide to the regulatory and food production standards of the country so that the public health is protected
Universal Food Consulting Services Offer
UFCS will provide training, research and consultation services for companies working in the food manufacturing sub-sector. Moreover, we prepare and deliver business plans, feasibility studies and social and environmental impact assessment studies for new food processing plants. UFCS will use its well-experienced professionals in solving problems faced in production processing plants. The following are our main services but not limited to this.
- Provide the leadership and managerial skills to move your organization forward.
- Prepare food companies for GFSI Food Safety Schemes, such as Safe Quality Foods (SQF), British Retail Consortium (BRC), or FSSC 22000 Food Safety Management systems and certifications.
- Lead facility establishment and plant layout design for a food processing plant.
- Provide assistance and technical recommendations to identify qualified labor force.
- Establish a fully organized product safety and quality testing laboratory for a client including identifying vendors’ and procurement of supplies and laboratory reagents.
- Provide technological solutions to problems clients face in food processing, preservation, shelf life, sensory quality, labeling, new product development etc.
- Conduct research and development for the transformation of local/traditional produce into value added agricultural products.
- Provide trainings on food safety, microbiology, sensory, processing, technology, quality, nutrition, laboratory testing, sanitation, entrepreneurship to food service providers such as caterings/hotels/restaurants and food industries.
- Prepare business plans and feasibility study for new business ideas to establish new food processing plants.
- Provide consultation and training on product diversification, production expansion and raw material/ ingredient substitution to replace those imported ones with locally available.
Related Services
- Enhance sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity of food industries to meet local, regional or international regulations to export their food products
- Prepare and deliver social and environmental impact assessment studies.
- Provide consultation on industrial waste management and disposal.
- Develop branding and marketing for newly established company from A to Z (logo, business card, letter head, flyer, banner, poster, QR/Bar code, websites, advertising, promotion, etc.)
- Develop teaching audio, video or print materials in the area of food science and nutrition (ex. complementary feeding, food safety, food hygiene, food processing, nutrition, diet, health etc.) for the community, food service providers and food industry.
- Support on establishment and expansion of small and medium agro-processing industries.
- Support for transfer of technology for agri-business development to improve income generation and food security
- Support food industries with the identification of suppliers of ingredients, machineries, inputs and services such as maintenance, calibration, pest control etc.
Our Team
Sisay A Shimels
Chief Executive Officer
He has more than 20 years’ experience in international Business development, technology transfer, export finance, Global marketing and project development in Africa, Asia and North America. He represented Africa Agri Businesses at the AU amongst other.
Lukas Duursema
Chief Operations Officer
More than 30 years of global business experience in management, Strategy and operations in various industries, as well as new business set up, business development and management in forty countries. He has been the CEO Siemens East Africa amongstother international positions.
Dr Ashagrie Zewdu (PhD)
Managing Director
Food Safety ,Quality & Nutrition Expert
He is an associate professor of food science and nutrition. He has a bachelor degree in Chemistry from Bahir Dar University and M.Sc. / PhD in Food Science and Nutrition from Addis Ababa University. He is currently one of the renowned expert in food safety and quality in Ethiopia. He has more than 15 years 'experience in the areas of food processing, food chemistry, sensory evaluation, food microbiology, new product development and nutrition.
Muluken Kebede
Food Engineering & New Product Development
He is a seasoned professional in the field of food science. He has a bachelor degree in AppHe is a food engineer and teaches food engineering courses at Hawassa University's Institute of Technology. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in food engineering from Addis Ababa University. He has been actively engaged in food processing and food safety researches for the past six years and has participated in various subject research activities. He also assisted in the delivery of a capacity-building courses on food processing and quality management for small businesses. He has a lot of experience writing business plans and feasibility studies for new companies.ied Biology and MSc. in Food Science and Nutrition from Addis Ababa University. He has an over 12 years of practical experience in Food testing, Laboratory Accreditation, Food manufacturing, Shelf-life determination and training onfood safety and food management systems. He has contributed in the food systems of the nation as a member of the National Codex Committee and in developing foods standards in Ethiopia.
