By Ibrahim Mohamed
A workshop on the evaluation of control systems and strategic analysis of the project document “Strengthening Food Control, Phytosanitary, and Governance Capacities” was launched this morning in Cairo within the framework of the Codex Principles and Guidelines on National Food Control Systems, where FAO worked in co-operation with the World Health Organisation (FAO) to design a tool to evaluate national food control systems, with the aim of measuring the effectiveness of control systems to verify that resources are well used to protect the health of consumers.
In addition to opening new markets for products and improving trade ties.
During the ceremony, they discussed headlines of the strategic plan and setting timetables that target decision-makers.
Chairman of the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA), Tareq el-Houby, during the ceremony, thanked FAO’s efforts to activate the assessment tool of the regulatory system as it is a part of FAO’s strategic plan.
El-Houby said that the document that Egypt signed last October during the first African Founding Forum for Senior Officials of Food Regulatory Agencies (AFRAF) aims to provide technical assistance to a number of member states of the East and Southern African Community (COMESA) to strengthen their capacities regarding food control systems and phytosanitary systems, using internationally recognised tools and methodologies, in order to contribute to the promotion and development of food safety policies in African countries and the governance of sanitary and phytosanitary systems (SPS) at the regional and national levels.
The assessment process launched in February 25 to 29 in Cairo through focal points, el-Houby added.
The aim of the assessment process is to provide an analytical approach to national food control systems, starting with the identification of the financial and human resources needed to operate these systems.
Through the identification of tasks exercised by the relevant authorities, then the technical and organisational arrangements for interactions with stakeholders, and finally the scientific and knowledge base on which the information gathering process and the formulation of policies and legislation are based. These at the end lead to decision-making, el-Houby said during the National Food Control System Assessment ceremony.
El-Houby explained that steps were taken by the focal points as the process of technical responses to the items of the evaluation mechanism for each tool began during the period March-May last year.
He stated that the evaluation team conducted a field visit from June 23 to July 11 to verify the technical responses to the evaluation mechanism items.
The delegation consolidated and analysed the technical responses according to the evaluation criteria and tool competencies and submitted a preliminary draft of the evaluation report, which was shared with the competent authorities in mid-August.
El-Houby emphasised the final step is the implementation of strategic workshops for focal points from September 9 to 11 to strategically analyse the findings and recommendations adopted in the report to identify priority points to be targeted for improvement, then estimate the cost of the plan, identify the required resources, and fund the plan to start implementing it.
“Importance of co-operation and supporting information exchange between authorities and the application of the electronic system to many regulatory activities such as registering establishments and following up on checklists, with particular application to inspection and monitoring programmes and responding to emergency situations,” he stressed.
This joint initiative will advance food safety in Egypt through conformity with international standards and promote trade within the region.
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