INTRODUCTION
Food safety and its regulation has become a major international concern. Recent outbreaks of food-borne diseases within and outside the region and the intense media coverage of food safety problems have resulted in a crisis of confidence between consumers, the food industry and the public institutions in charge of food safety. The current escalation of consumers’ activism in food safety is no longer a characteristic only of developed countries, but also a growing force for change in developing countries.
Furthermore, due to the globalization of food trade and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements’ requirements related to food safety and quality, governments in developing countries are increasingly concerned that food safety standards and regulations are creating obstacles to the entry of their foodstuffs into international markets. Even when efforts have been made to meet international standards (such as the Codex Alimentarius), countries of the region are still finding it difficult to reach certain markets because of stringent national food safety and quality requirements. On the other hand, consumers and regulatory agencies in developed countries fear that the weaknesses in food safety capacities of developing countries undermine the level of protection established by the international standards.
Food-borne diseases are a serious threat to people in Africa, causing an unbearable public health burden and massive economic losses. WHO estimates that some 700 000 deaths per year in Africa are due to food and water-borne diseases. These are caused by a variety of disease causing agents such as bacteria, parasites, viruses, toxins and chemical residues. These outbreaks only show the tip of the iceberg, as many more sporadic cases go unreported. Other regions have also experienced similar problems. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and dioxin contaminated poultry are well known examples in Europe. In 2004, an outbreak of acute aflatoxicosis in Eastern Africa due to contaminated maize caused more than 120 deaths. The associated economic cost included the provision of 166 000 metric tons of replacement food to the affected areas. Numerous bans on fishery and other food products exported from the region have cost African countries millions of $US in lost revenues - income that could have contributed to improving the life of Africans.
In Africa, the above examples are symptomatic of a lack of efficient food safety systems. Many countries lack adequate food safety policies and programmes that are capable of addressing current food safety challenges. National food safety systems are often characterized by the existence of multiple agencies with overlapping mandates and with little collaboration among themselves, which results in inefficient use of resources due to duplication and gaps in the coverage of important food safety issues. Food legislation in most countries of the region is either outdated or incomplete and does not provide the basic legal foundation for efficient food safety control. In addition, enforcement agencies do not have the necessary means to carry out their responsibilities in food control. This includes a lack of adequately trained human resources as well as poor inspection and laboratory facilities. Stakeholders, including the food industry and consumers, are often not involved in food safety policy making and do not play the necessary role in improving food safety.
In this context, the need to elaborate a strategic plan for food safety, specially tailored to address the needs of Africa, was particularly emphasized at the 15th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAfrica - Kampala, Uganda, November 2002). The FAO/WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for Africa (Harare, Zimbabwe, October 2005) has acknowledged this situation and the need to build well integrated and multisectoral systems covering the entire food chain in order to ensure the safety of food produced and consumed in the region.
The Recommended Five-Year Strategic Plan for Food Safety in Africa is an attempt to provide African solutions to the challenges of improving food safety, taking account of the international arena in which the countries of the region must operate. Given this situation, several activities have already been undertaken by FAO and WHO, in collaboration with member countries of the African region, to prepare the necessary elements to ensure the fulfilment of these objectives. In this regard, an evaluation of national food safety management systems in the region was carried out in 20 countries of the region (FAO Regional Office for Africa, November 2004) and 28 countries (WHO Regional Office for Africa, October 2002). Furthermore, during the 16th Session of CCAfrica (Rome, January 2005), FAO and WHO organized a workshop on “Effective food control systems - Practical approaches in Africa”. This workshop provided an opportunity to present the food safety situation in the countries of the region and to discuss several related issues. Many similar events have also occurred.
Similarly, the 16th Session of the CCAfrica also initiated discussion of a strategic plan for Codex in Africa to provide a basis for the strengthening of Codex activities in the region. The Codex Strategic Plan will play an important complementary role to the more comprehensive Recommended Five-Year Strategic Plan for Food Safety in Africa.
The implementation of such a Strategic Plan will not be possible without a strong political commitment from African leaders at the highest level to ensure the mobilization of the necessary resources, human and financial, to carry out the proposed activities.
I. ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN
ELEMENT 1 - Food safety policies and programmes
1.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
1.1.1 Ensure that this document is presented to the highest policy and decision making body in the region, such as the African Union.
1.1.2 Ensure that policy makers are sensitized to the importance of food safety to ensure the political will needed to implement this strategic plan.
1.1.3 Adopt clear and coherent food safety policies as part of a comprehensive national strategy, based on the sharing of responsibilities in food safety between public authorities, industry and consumers, and taking into account the entire food chain from farm to table.
1.1.4 Establish necessary mechanisms to ensure effective coordination between all those involved in food safety and facilitate the active participation of all stakeholders, including relevant public institutions, private sector representatives and consumers’ associations, in the entire food safety decision-making process.
1.1.5 Develop and implement national food safety programmes, consistent with the Strategic Plan, to reduce food-borne risks and improve the safety of the food supply. These programmes, which should be based on comprehensive consultations among all stakeholders (official authorities and private sector representatives), should be periodically evaluated and revised to ensure their relevance and effectiveness.
1.1.6 Strengthen the capacity of national food safety systems through the provision of the necessary human and physical resources needed to achieve their mandate, so that they can ensure food safety to the extent possible.
1.1.7 In line with decentralisation policies adopted in several countries of the region, efforts should be made to effectively decentralise technical capacities and promote participation of local authorities in food safety programmes, in particular those requiring community-based actions such as organizing the informal food sector.
ELEMENT 2 - Legislative and institutional aspects
2.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
At the national level:
2.1.1 Establish a harmonized and integrated legislative framework and institutional set up, using a risk analysis approach to address food safety issues throughout the entire food chain.
2.1.2 Work towards the harmonization of regulations, standards and control processes applied to products for export and for domestic consumption, both imported and domestically produced.
At the regional level (for Elements 1 and 2)
2.1.3 Encourage the sharing of experiences in the field of organization and coordination and harmonize food safety legislation between countries of the region.
ELEMENT 3 - Standards and regulations
3.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
At the national level:
3.1.1 Promulgate food control regulations that would eventually bring together fragmented food control provisions that make it difficult to approach food safety issues in an integrated and coherent manner. These regulations should guarantee food safety and protect consumers against fraudulent practices.
3.1.2 Update and/or review national regulations and standards in order to harmonize them with international requirements, in particular with Codex Alimentarius standards.
At the regional level:
3.1.3 Work towards the harmonization of food safety regulations and standards between the countries of the region, giving particular attention to the standards of products with a potential for regional and international trade.
3.2 Regarding Elements 1, 2 and 3, relevant international organizations are encouraged to:
At the national level:
3.2.1 Provide the necessary support to the countries of the region to assist them in strengthening their national food safety systems and, in particular, in establishing adequate and effective legal, regulatory and organizational framework for food control.
At the regional level:
3.2.2 Assist in the harmonization of food standards and regulations between the countries of the region and in the establishment of a network for the exchange of information and experiences between the national food safety authorities.
3.2.3 Provide the necessary support to a regional scheme to replicate successful experiences by the countries of the region in the field of food control organization and elaboration of basic food laws, in particular those that have successfully integrated a risk analysis approach.
ELEMENT 4 - Food inspection programmes and techniques
4.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
At the national level:
4.1.1 Adopt coherent and effective food inspection programmes with proper prioritization of actions and based on the risk analysis paradigm, consisting of 3 distinct but complementary components, namely: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication.
4.1.2 Develop advisory services to encourage and assist food producers to practice due diligence by implementing voluntary food safety control systems, based on international standards; and promote official auditing of such food safety management systems to replace final product testing.
4.1.3 Identify and apply inspection methods adapted to the unique needs of street foods, in addition to supporting advisory services to the operators in this sector to progressively improve the preparation, handling and serving of street foods.
4.1.4 Upgrade inspectors’ technical expertise through continuous training and by disseminating all necessary food inspection tools (guides, handbooks, standards and regulations compendia, preliminary field inspection and fraud detection equipment).
4.1.5 Ensure the coordinated and concerted use of the food safety tools elaborated by international organizations, in particular FAO and WHO, in the field of food safety, good agricultural, manufacturing and hygienic practices.
4.2 Relevant international organizations are encouraged to:
4.2.1 Assist the countries of the region in the harmonization of their inspection methods as well as in the creation of an early warning system for imported products that do not meet food safety standards.
4.2.2 Assist in the development of a uniform regional inspection programme for food imports and exports, as well as in the establishment of procedures for mutual recognition of inspection and certification systems among the countries of the region.
4.2.3 Organize regional/subregional training sessions and advanced courses on risk management principles and on food inspection techniques, and facilitate the countries’ access to relevant published materials.
ELEMENT 5- Food analysis and food safety testing laboratories
5.1 Governments of the region are called upon to:
At the national level:
5.1.1 Strengthen the capacity of official laboratories by providing adequate human resources and equipment, and by encouraging their accreditation in accordance with international requirements.
5.1.2 Encourage the creation of private sector laboratories for public and private sector use and ensure their official recognition in accordance with pre-established criteria and in conformity with international requirements.
5.1.3 Create a network of national laboratories to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise, as well as the creation of centres of excellence.
5.1.4 Create/strengthen national laboratory accreditation bodies and work towards their recognition regionally and internationally.
5.1.5 Encourage the development and availability of rapid detection methods, particularly for screening samples for mycotoxin contamination.
At the regional level:
5.1.6 Work towards the creation of an African network of reference laboratories with expertise in complementary disciplines, and formalize the exchange of information, trainees and requests for analysis between these laboratories.
5.2 Relevant international organizations are encouraged to:
At the national level:
5.2.1 Assist with the importation of laboratory chemicals and laboratory reagents, including biological reference materials, that are currently import/trade restricted and that are needed for food safety testing and research.
5.2.2 Support countries in their efforts to strengthen the capacity of their laboratories and in the training of laboratory personnel.
At the regional level:
5.2.3 Support the implementation of a regional network of laboratories and the creation of centres of expertise in complementary disciplines.
5.2.4 Organize regional needs oriented training for laboratory personnel.
ELEMENT 6- Monitoring food-borne diseases and the safety of foods on the market
6.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
At the national level:
6.1.1 Organize and implement food safety monitoring programmes, at the national or local level, to prevent possible problems and assist in the implementation of targeted policies and programmes.
6.1.2 Strengthen and, if necessary, establish an alert and reference system for the monitoring of food-borne diseases with the following objectives: measure disease incidence, track the tendencies and forms taken by endemic diseases, detect the sources, examine the causes of diseases and help prioritize efforts in this field. This work must aim to continuously improve the quality and safety of the food supply.
6.1.3 Encourage all food safety stakeholders to communicate and share information on the incidence of food-borne diseases, in a transparent manner, in order to strengthen warning and monitoring mechanisms.
At the regional level:
6.1.4 Develop close regional and international partnerships to strengthen national actions for prevention and control of food-borne diseases.
6.2 Relevant international organizations are encouraged to:
At the national level:
6.2.1 Support the countries of the region in their efforts to strengthen food-borne disease surveillance systems within the framework of capacity building programmes such as the “WHO Global Salmonella Surveillance Programme”; assist in training concerned staff, in particular in the improved use of the global warning and epidemic outbreak response systems.
At the regional level:
6.2.2 Assist in establishing a regional network of early warning and information exchange on food-borne diseases; link it to other specialized global networks such as GOARN, INFOSAN, GLEWS, etc.
ELEMENT 7- Participation in Codex
7.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
At the national level:
7.1.1 Implement, in coordination with the other countries of the Region and in line with agreed modalities, the Strategic Plan for CCAfrica once adopted. In this regard, Governments should increase their participation in Codex activities so that the established standards, guidelines and recommendations reflect the situation that prevails in the countries of the region. In this context, countries must:
At the regional level:
7.1.2 Work towards more effective participation of African countries in the Codex system through dynamic and sustained participation in the work of the CCAfrica. Countries of the region must, as far as possible, seek to define common positions that are sound and well justified.
7.2 Relevant international organizations are encouraged to:
At the national level:
7.2.1 Provide the necessary support to the countries of the region to establish and/or strengthen national Codex committees and Codex contact points.
At the regional level:
7.2.2 Provide the necessary support to CCAfrica to implement its strategic plan.
7.2.3 Organize periodic regional fora to discuss Codex and food safety issues of regional concern.
ELEMENT 8- Communication and stakeholder involvement (including industry officials and consumers)
8.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
At the national level:
8.1.1 Create a permanent food safety coordinating body which meets regularly and is open to food industry officials and consumers; and establish dynamic mechanisms for the exchange of information and opinions.
8.1.2 Motivate the food industry to practice due diligence by implementing voluntary food safety control systems and involve them in all relevant food safety issues, such as participation in Codex meetings, training sessions, etc.
8.1.3 Provide the necessary support to national consumer organizations to access and/ or disseminate information related to food safety and strengthen their role in the implementation of national food safety programmes.
8.1.4 Develop a dynamic partnership with the media, public and private, for the dissemination of information on food safety, to which all stakeholders should contribute appropriately (consumers, food industry officials, and government officials).
At the regional level:
8.1.5 Encourage exchange programmes between food industry officials and consumers from all African countries.
8.2 Relevant international organizations are encouraged to:
At the national level:
8.2.1 Assist countries of the region in promoting the use of voluntary food safety control systems, such as HACCP, by the food industry and disseminate or, if necessary, elaborate appropriate guidelines adapted, in particular, to the traditional and informal sectors.
At the regional level:
8.2.2 Organize joint workshops and training courses to make information on food safety management methods at food production and distribution level accessible to all stakeholders and to disseminate the relevant documents prepared by the international organizations.
ELEMENT 9- National, regional and international cooperation
9.1 Governments of the region are encouraged to:
At the national level:
9.1.1 Take note of the multi-disciplinary nature of activities related to food safety and consequently of the need to strengthen national cooperation between all stakeholders. This cooperation must take several forms: cooperation with experts from multiple disciplines (nutrition, toxicology, microbiology, chemistry, legal services, public health, etc.); public/private sector cooperation with food production, distribution and food catering stakeholders interested in food safety; and vertical cooperation with the local, municipal and even regional authorities.
At the regional level:
9.1.2 Strengthen regional, subregional and international cooperation in view of trade liberalization and the trans-boundary nature of food safety issues. This cooperation can be realized by implementing cooperation programmes in various fields such as food inspection, laboratories, Codex activities, harmonization of legislation and standards, import and export certification and food-borne disease surveillance.
9.2 Relevant international organizations are encouraged to:
9.2.1 Strengthen the assistance provided to African countries in food safety; based on accurate national and regional needs assessments and through an improved targeting of issues, while ensuring, in particular, the following:
II. STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING :
The countries of the region and relevant international organizations, FAO and WHO in particular, with financial support from donors and financial institutions, are invited to efficiently and effectively collaborate in the implementation of this Recommended Five-Year Strategic Plan for Food Safety in Africa. For this reason, they are asked to provide the necessary budgetary means and in-kind technical support required to carry out the following actions, aimed at building the national capacity to ensure a constant monitoring of the implementation of the concerned plan.
1. The Conference agreed that its bureau, composed of the three co-chairs and the rapporteur of the Conference and the chairs and rapporteurs of the two working groups, would constitute the follow-up committee that would ensure the monitoring of the implementation of the strategic plan. Representatives of FAO and WHO will also serve on this committee. The committee would provide progress reports on the implementation of the strategic plan on the Conference website (www.foodsafetyforum.org/ african/index.asp) in order to receive input from other countries of the region and will meet virtually and physically as frequently as possible, particularly in connection with regional and international meetings related to food safety (e.g. Codex).
2. FAO and WHO are requested to:
2.1 Lead a diagnostic study of the regional food safety situation in order to determine the most urgent regional needs and priority areas for improvement; and thus provide African countries with a good basis for the implementation of the strategic plan.
2.2 Organize, as soon as possible, a seminar in order to establish the priorities of the strategic plan and identify potential financial resources to carry them out.
2.3 Oversee the organization, within the framework of the regular sessions of CCAfrica, of meetings to evaluate the degree of realization of the strategic plan, discuss encountered difficulties and seek suitable solutions to solve them and establish future priorities.
2.4 Strengthen and improve the coordination between the capacity building activities of the United Nations organizations, donors and other sources of support in helping to build the capacity of the national food safety systems of the region.
2.5 Develop training programmes on voluntary control and quality management systems in the food industry, intended for the personnel in the private sector.
2.6 Work with donors and other financing organizations for the creation in Africa of the following centres:
2.6.1 Subregional centres for training food control inspectors and laboratory personnel. The number of such centres will depend on the availability of resources.
2.6.2 A surveillance centre for tracking food-borne diseases and coordinating actions and programmes employed in this field, both by the initiative of African countries and via projects financed within bilateral or multilateral frameworks.
