Agri-business supports government in fight to stamp out lethal disease

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – Zambeef has rallied to combat the spread of the deadly cholera epidemic in Lusaka and around the country by donating chlorine and other cleaning materials worth K80,000 to the Ministry of Health.

“As a proudly Zambian entity with strong roots in our communities and as an active member, our aim is to be a responsible corporate citizen and neighbour, including responding to immediate and urgent health needs such as the one we are currently experiencing,” said Zambeef marketing and corporate affairs manager Felix Lupindula.

Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya received the donated items on behalf of the ministry and thanked Zambeef for their contribution and said it was a significant one in the fight against the disease. The items included gumboots, work suits, moulded respirators, gloves and hard brooms.

The group further answered a call from Lusaka City Council to help clear rubble from Mumbwa Road, assisting in the removal of 360 tonnes of waste along the stretch between Manda and Lumumba Roads by using a tipper and front-end loader.

“A clean market place is paramount,” said Mr Lupindula who noted that the situation calls for urgent attention as it affects the well-being of the whole country and it is the responsibility of every single citizen to ensure that no more lives are lost to the scourge by doing their part to stop the spread and recurrence of the disease.

Zambeef has in place the strictest bio-security measures and has intensified its own internal intensified hygiene programme reinforcing the company’s existing stringent international food safety and hygiene standards at all its outlets and operations countrywide.

The firm is also working closely with experts from the Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders in areas where ongoing cleaning exercises are taking place for the purposes of prevention across the nation.

Zambeef has over the years rallied for improved sanitation and has worked with and supported district health offices at various occasions, including making donations of cleaning chemicals aimed at combating and preventing outbreaks of disease resulting from poor sanitation.

The company, as part of its ‘triple bottom line’ approach to its sustainability, is committed to ensuring a positive social, environmental and economic impact and continues to support community health initiatives for sustainable long-term results and real benefits.

Cholera is a serious infection of the bowels caused by drinking infected water or eating infected food, causing diarrhoea, vomiting and often death.
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Zambeef marketing and corporate affairs manager Felix Lupindula hands over goods to Minister of Health Hon. Chitalu Chilufya, Minister of Local Government and Housing Hon. Vincent Mwale and Minister of Religious Affairs and National Guidance, Hon. Rev. Godfridah Sumaili to help with the government’s fight against cholera.

About Zambeef Products Plc
Zambeef Products Plc is the largest integrated cold chain food products and agribusiness company in Zambia and one of the largest in the region, involved in the primary production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, eggs, dairy products, fish, flour and stockfeed, throughout Zambia and the surrounding region, as well as Nigeria and Ghana.
The Group is also one of the largest cereal row cropping operations in Zambia, with approximately 7,787 hectares of row crops under irrigation which are planted twice a year, and a further 8,694 hectares of rainfed/dry-land crops available for planting each year.
The company slaughters around 78,000 beef cattle, 7.3 million chickens and 60,000 pigs per annum, while also processing 19 million litres of milk, producing 154,000 tons of stockfeed, 69 million eggs, 68,000 pairs of shoes and processes 100,000 hides in its tannery per year.
It has 195 retail outlets throughout Zambia and West Africa.
Zambeef employs over 7,000 people with a total of K357 million paid in remuneration and benefits in the last year.
More information is available at www.zambeefplc.com