By Ibrahim Mohamed
NFSA signed a joint co-operation protocol with the Sohag Chamber of Commerce, chaired by Khaled Abu al-Wafa, to establish an office in the Sohag Chamber of Commerce.
Chairman of the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA), Dr. Tareq E-Houby, met Governor of Sohag, Abdel Fattah Siraj, during the conclusion of the training programme on the application of the requirements of NFSA to hotels, restaurants, tourist facilities, and bakeries to enter under the umbrella of the Public Shops Act.
The Chamber of Commerce in Sohag organised the programme in co-operation with the National Food Safety Authority that continued for two days on August 12 and 13, in the presence of a number of officials.
El-Houby said that the role of NFSA is not only to monitor, inspect, and enact food legislation but also to support the food and agricultural industry, as well as to increase the competitiveness of the Egyptian producer in regional and international markets.
He emphasised that the methodology of work within NFSA is to support the qualification of Egyptian products to reach global markets.
NFSA has succeeded in being an influential regional player in the policies of the food safety system, which has had the effect of allowing many countries to import Egyptian products, which confirms the confidence of the regulatory authorities in these countries in the National Food Safety Authority and its working mechanism and the strength of its technical regulations, El-Houby added.
“NFSA supports MSME manufacturers in producing a healthy product that is safe for the Egyptian consumer and providing technical support for these enterprises so that they can move to the stage of being able to put their products on foreign markets,” El-Houby said.
He stressed that the authority, through 57 branches and 18 port offices, has regulated all imports and exports of Egypt and products traded within the local market through a system of analyses and procedures to ensure the health and safety of the Egyptian consumer.
Also, El-Houby highlighted that the authority has the support of the political leadership by providing all the necessary possibilities to fulfill its role by establishing a coefficient in both Dakhilah, Damietta, and Nuweibaa, east of Al Tafreah, with the aim of accelerating the time of release of food goods.
“NFSA is supportive of all manufacturers and producers, as well as traders, and awaits their rapid response in compliance with the requirements of the authority, hoping that Sohag will become all its food facilities under the umbrella of the National Food Safety Authority,” El-Houby said.
For his part, Siraj praised the activities of the training programme on the implementation of the requirements of the Food Safety Authority, stressing its importance for tourist establishments and restaurants that upgrade the services provided to their customers.
He noted the importance of the tourism sector in the development of economic return and the industry of the future in Sohag, and the importance of working to attract domestic and foreign tourism and investing in the human component.
Abu al-Wafa said the task of NFSA is not only to regulate to ensure the credibility of the product, but its role goes beyond that, including supporting producers themselves to access a competitive product in foreign markets as part of Egypt’s tendencies towards increasing Egyptian exports to provide hard currency.
