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Book (stand-alone)Assuring Food Safety and Quality. Guidelines for Strengthening National Food Control Systems
Food and Nutrition Paper 76
2003Effective national food control systems are essential to protect the health and safety of domestic consumers. They are also critical in enabling countries to assure the safety and quality of their foods entering international trade and to ensure that imported foods conform to national requirements. The new global environment for food trade places considerable obligations on both importing and exporting countries to strengthen their food control systems and to implement and enforce risk-based foo d control strategies. Consumers are taking unprecedented interest in the way food is produced, processed and marketed, and are increasingly calling for their Governments to accept greater responsibility for food safety and consumer protection. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have a strong interest in promoting national food control systems that are based upon scientific principles and guidelines, and which address all sect ors of the food chain. This is particularly important for developing countries as they seek to achieve improved food safety, quality and nutrition, but will require a high level of political and policy commitment. In many countries, effective food control is undermined by the existence of fragmented legislation, multiple jurisdictions, and weaknesses in surveillance, monitoring and enforcement. These guidelines seek to provide advice to national authorities on strategies to strengthen food contr ol systems to protect public health, prevent fraud and deception, avoid food adulteration and facilitate trade. They will enable authorities to choose the most suitable options for their food control systems in terms of legislation, infrastructure and enforcement mechanisms. The document delineates the overarching principles of food control systems, and provides examples of possible infrastructures and approaches for national systems. The target users of these Guidelines are national authorities concerned with ensuring food safety and quality in the interests of public health and consumer protection. The Guidelines will also be of assistance to a range of other stakeholders including consumer groups, industry and trade organizations, farmer groups and any other groups or associations that influence national policy in this area. -
ProjectEstablishment of a New Analytical Laboratory at a Food Production Facility in Dekemhare City, Eritrea - TCP/ERI/3609 2020
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No results found.Food safety and quality are essential for food security, public health and economic development. Improving laboratory-testing capacity contributes to increasing the supply of safe, wholesome high-quality food by reducing the impact of food-borne diseases that can cause illness and death. Food quality analysis and management also help to stem the economic consequences of food-borne illness and food insecurity, contributing to a healthier, more prosperous and productive nation. Ensuring the safety and quality of foods also promotes international trade and access to new markets, which provides a means to strengthen livelihoods all along the value chain, alleviating poverty and hunger. Eritrea is a young East African country, gaining independence in May 1991 after a 30-year war with Ethiopia. The development of industry in Eritrea, including the food industry and laboratories, dates back to the Italian colonial period (1890-1941), when Eritrea had a relatively prosperous economy. However, during British rule (1941-1952) and the Ethiopian administration that followed, a lack of investment led to a deterioration of its infrastructure. Eritrea’s current industrial base is made up of numerous small- and medium-sized enterprises, and the Government is making a significant effort to increase their contribution to the national economy – including private-sector food production and processing enterprises. However, Eritrea’s Government is facing several macro-economic challenges, which are affecting the operations of various ministries including Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health. As a result, preventive activities such as those related to food safety receive less priority than curative medical services. This has seriously affected the ministries’ operation and monitoring of food safety analysis. The national food control system needs an urgent review and redesign. Establishment of basic operational and management systems, including training and capacity building of laboratory staff and laboratory accreditation to international standards, are needed to strengthen this system and enhance its capacity for ensuring that safe and nutritiousfood reaches consumers. Fisheries and agriculture are important economic sectors that have good potential for producing export earnings with relatively low levels of investment. However, ever-increasing international food safety standards and trade regulations are seriously hampering the export of agricultural products and hence the country's efforts to gain market access. -
ProjectStrengthening Capacities for the Prevention of Fall Armyworm (FAW) in Eritrea - TCP/ERI/3610 2020
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No results found.Pest and disease outbreaks threaten to harm crop production and pastures Eritrea, where approximately 75 percent of the population relies on agriculture, animal husbandry and fishing for their livelihood. The country has dealt with many migratory pests in the past, including the African Armyworm, locusts, and grain-eating birds, all of which have caused significant yield and pasture losses. In 2016, the Fall Armyworm (FAW) appeared in Africa, and it rapidly spread to 32 different countries on the continent. When FAW outbreaks were reported in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and neighboring Ethiopia, concern regarding the spread of the pest to Eritrea grew, owing to the fact that it has the same agro-ecological conditions as these other countries. The FAW attacks many of Eritrea’s major crops, including maize, millet, sorghum, barley and wheat. Outbreaks of FAW can result in grain losses of between 25 and 75 percent, and they can damage vast rangelands for livestock production. Because the FAW presents such a serious threat to food security, economic activity and livelihoods, this project was designed to mitigate its effects through the strengthening of capacities to detect, manage and control the pest in Eritrea. It is important to note that during project formulation, the FAW had not yet arrived in Eritrea; therefore, the main focus of the project design was prevention. That said, the pest was detected in the country in 2018, but it was successfully managed thanks to the interventions of this project.
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