In the Seychelles, FAO concludes an evaluation of the national food control system
Last week FAO concluded a ten-month assessment of the Seychelles’ food control system with a final workshop in Victoria where high-level executives endorsed the recommendations of the final report and committed to implementing its strategic plan. The assessment is part of "Strengthening of Capacities and Governance in Food and Phytosanitary Control,” a 5-million-euro project funded by the European Union which began in November 2022 to provide technical support and work with Competent Authorities and other leading institutions in 11 African Union Member Countries. The project is designed to build up capabilities, strengthen governance and improve strategic planning around two main components: food safety and plant health.
The initiative aligns with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Policy Framework for Africa, a framework developed by the African Union (AU) laying the foundations for trade opportunities among AU Member States. This project is implemented in close partnership with the African Commission Division for Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC DARBE).
Similar assessments were successfully completed in Comoros in August and then in Kenya earlier this month. Strategic workshops are scheduled to take place throughout the coming months as the assessments reach their final stages across the participating countries.
Assessment of the national food control system in the Seychelles
Project activities in the Seychelles which began with an inception training at the end of 2022 consisted in a team of food safety experts from FAO working closely with 22 focal points from local Competent Authorities for food safety and relevant stakeholders to gather and analyse data and information across several dimensions of the system. Once the data was collected, the FAO team conducted field visits and interviews and, together with the focal points, reviewed the data, conducted a strategic analysis and produced a final report on the status of the country’s food safety control system and recommendations to improve it.
Pivotal to the project was the introduction of the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool, a unique instrument developed by both United Nations agencies to assess the national food control system in a comprehensive manner, by looking at the entire food chain, including production, distribution, the retail market and the consumers.
Ultimately, the assessment aims to assist the Seychelles in adhering to international standards that will allow greater harmonization and trade in the region.
Conclusion of the project and the final workshop
The final workshop was the culmination of the assessment, with stakeholders, experts, and officials from ministries involved in the Seychelles’ food control system convening to review findings and recommendations of the assessment, agree on priorities and develop a strategic action plan to facilitate its implementation.
The key moment of the workshop was on 15 September when high-level officials from Ministries across the country’s food control system approved and endorsed the recommendations and a shared vision, committing to implement the strategic action plan stemming from the assessment, promote synergies and engage donors. “The knowledge and skills gained by the workshop participants as well as the activities that will follow will provide us with the right methodology and tools, said Mr Flavin Joubert, Minister of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, adding “but above all with the right team to fix the gaps identified.”
The outcomes of the assessment and last week’s workshop will help shape the future of food safety in the Seychelles.
The next country to conclude the assessment is Eswatini, where the final workshop will be held on 19-22 September. More countries using the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool and completing food control assessments contributes to greater adherence to international standards, increased harmonization and more trade in the region.
Read more about the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool
Read more about the Seychelles here
See the FAO in Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles website
Photo: © FAO/Terry Carolla