Cairo- Egypt – Next week FAO will begin a project to improve the food control system in the Arab Republic of Egypt. A 6.4-million-euro project funded by the European Union, "Strengthening food control and phytosanitary capacities and governance”, is set to provide technical support and work with Competent Authorities and other leading institutions in 12 African Union (AU) Member Countries to build up capabilities, strengthen governance and improve strategic planning around two main components: food safety and plant health. As part of the food safety component, an assessment of the national food control system will be carried out in Egypt. A team of food safety experts from FAO will work closely with Egypt’s local Competent Authorities for food safety and relevant stakeholders, to assess the effectiveness of the national food control system and to develop strategies to improve the country’s public health and economic development.

Assessment of the national food control system in Egypt

The project, co-signed by the Government of Egypt, falls within the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Policy Framework for Africa developed by the African Union (AU) to spur trade among AU Member States and is implemented in close collaboration with the African Commission Division for Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC DARBE).

Egypt and FAO have a long-standing partnership, with a FAO Representation in the country since 1978. This year, FAO will introduce to Egypt the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool, a unique instrument whose use is expanding steadily, which is designed 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.

As part of the assessment, a team of FAO experts will assist Egypt’s Competent Authorities in food safety through various assessment steps, culminating with the development of a set of recommendations and a strategic framework to facilitate their implementation. The project aims to assist Egypt in adhering to international standards that will allow greater harmonization and trade in the region.

Launch of the assessment and training of focal points

The training will take place in Cairo from 25 to 28 February 2024, and include presentations, discussions, and case studies to train focal points of the Competent Authorities on the technical aspects of the Tool and also on their respective responsibilities and activities in the subsequent phases of the project. The activities include data collection across the whole food control system.

Read more about theFAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool

Contact

• Claudia Trezza, Communications Specialist
• Mohamed Moussa, Communications Specialist