By Ibrahim Mohamed
The chairman of the National Food Safety Authority, Dr Tareq el Hobi, visited the headquarters and laboratory of the authority in Damietta Port today.
The Governor of Damietta, Manal Awad, received the Head of NFSA, Tareq el Hobi, and an accompanying delegation to discuss ways of coordinating and co-operating between the Authority and the governorate regarding the activation of the governorate’s food safety system.
The meeting also addressed ways of coordinating between the Authority and the concerned authorities in Damietta and the importance of joint work to achieve complementarity and fruitful co-operation that contributes to the improvement of the food safety system.
He also met with Rear Admiral Ahmed Hawash, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Damietta Seaport, to review the role of the Regulatory Authority, which ensures the arrival of healthy and safe food for Egyptian citizens, as well as its vital role in upgrading the quality and competitiveness of Egyptian food industries in local and international markets.
El Hobi has inspected the construction of the Authority’s laboratory inside the port, which is based on an area of 1600 metres, and includes 4 chemical pollutant analysis sections (residual pesticides, residual veterinary drugs, food additives, and persistent organic pollutants), as well as 3 biological pollutant testing sections for viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
It has been designed with technical support that allows the use of the latest devices in order to inspect 200 samples per day, including vegetables, fruits, meat, and grains. It also aims to detect 825 chemical food contaminants and a wide range of biological pollutants.
The laboratory’s capacity reaches 63 thousand samples annually.
El Hobi stressed the importance of the role of the laboratories of NFSA in various ports within the framework of the directives of President Abdel Fatah El Sisi to tighten the control of imported and exported food traded in the local market in order to ensure access to safe food for all citizens.
During the inspection of the food containers at the port of Damietta, el Hobi stressed the need to simplify the procedures for inspecting imported or exported goods.
This visit is part of the efforts of the Authority to coordinate and co-operate with ministries and port bodies in order to ensure the speedy completion of the work and reduce the time of customs release in order to facilitate the work of those dealing with NFSA, facilitate the movement of trade, and support Egyptian food exports.
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