By Ibrahim Mohamed
The food safety system has received unprecedented attention from political leadership for its important role in regulating and promoting the safety and sustainability of food products produced, imported, and exported in Egypt.
This came to protect consumer health and apply fair practices in the food trade.
The National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) relies on a regulatory framework based on scientific decision-making to alleviate the obstacles facing Egypt’s food safety system.
NFSA revealed its annual report on the harvest of efforts in 2023. Dr Tareq el Hobi, head of the authority, explained that the authority has, over the past period, been able to achieve significant achievements in all areas of its work.
NFSA has currently prepared a strategic plan for the period 2023–2026, which shows its work and regulatory activities on food and supports the rigorous planning and implementation of food control programmes and systems.
The strategic plan is supported by annual implementation plans.
In the field of surveillance and inspection, the number of surveillance inspections in various food facilities in all governorates reached 16,233, while 13,326 missions were registered during the past year 2022 and 4,759 food facilities were registered with the Authority compared to 2035 during the last year 2022, with a growth rate of 22 per cent, 134 per cent respectively.
El Hobi announced that the Authority had resolved 2,176 complaints, with 99 per cent of the total number of 2,196 complaints in 2023.
The Authority was received through various complaint recipients in addition to complaints submitted directly to the Authority, an increase of 31% compared to 2022, which totalled 1,675 complaints.
While the total number of campaigns launched by the Complaints Team in co-operation with other market regulators in all governorates reached 30,353, 11,432 campaigns were carried out during the past year 2022, with a growth rate of 166 per cent.
In the private food sector, the Authority registered 54 factories in 2023 and 3355 food supplement products.
El Hobi explained that the achievements of the National Food Safety Authority in 2023 also included fulfilling the European Commission’s recommendations for fish exports and awaiting the timing of a forthcoming visit by the European Commission to Egypt’s fish trading facilities.
With regard to the school feeding file, el Hobi reviewed NFSA’s role by monitoring all stages of the school meal production chain, emphasising the withdrawal of samples of school meals during all stages of production and distribution in schools.
Also, NFSA sought to establish a new group of laboratories in Egyptian ports within the framework of the strengthening of laboratory capacities and the development of central inspection plants for the National Food Safety Authority in ports (Dakhilah, Damietta, East of Al Tafreah, Nuweibaa, and Safaga) equipped with modern devices to facilitate the movement of trade and support Egyptian food exports.
In mid-2023, the first sampling plant was opened at Alexandria Port. The plant receives, prepares, and configures samples while maintaining complete confidentiality of sampling data.
The plant contains the latest advanced devices, preservation, and refrigeration refrigerators and freezers to keep samples in good condition until delivery to various laboratories.
The presence of a sampling laboratory confirms the vital role of the Authority within the various ports in accelerating inspection procedures and reducing the time of customs release of food imports, which in turn reflects the safety and security of Egypt’s imports of food products and enhances the role of the Authority in monitoring the food chain in Egypt, el Hobi said.
The Authority announced its new slogan last year during a press conference in October 2023, noting that the new slogan is part of an ambitious food safety awareness campaign, which will see the development of an intensive partnership with the consumer sector, producers, relevant national bodies, and organisations, thereby enhancing the Authority’s role as a reliable source of food safety information.
El Hobi also noted that one of the most important achievements of the Authority during 2023 was the organisation of the founding of the African Food Regulatory Authorities Forum (AFRAF) in partnership with the African Union Commission, held in the New Administrative Capital from October 11 to 13.
It represented one of the largest gatherings of food safety authorities on the African continent in the presence of Ms. Josefa Sako, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment of the African Union Commission, José Emilio Esteban, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety of the United States, representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UNIDO, and representatives of some 39 African States.
The organisation of this event is also part of the NFSA’s plan to play a leading role in the development of co-operation and partnership frameworks at the regional level with a spotlight on Africa, as defined in the NFSA Strategy 2023-2026. “
On the sidelines of the forum, el Hobi signed with Nasr El-Din Haj El-Amin, FAO Representative in Egypt, “Project to strengthen food control, phytosanitary capacity, and governance” using internationally recognised tools and methodologies, thereby contributing to the promotion and development of food safety policies in African countries as well as the governance of SPS systems at the national, regional, and continental levels.
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