The National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt commemorated the sixth World Food Safety Day this year in on 29 and 30 May. As part of NFSA efforts to be active and collaborative on a regional level, the event marked the NFSA’s launch of its Egyptian Global Food Safety Symposium (EGFoSS) in the presence of H.H Ali Meselhy, Minister of Supply and experts and industry professionals in the field of food safety and agricultural industries from Egypt and from around the world, to affirm that “food safety is everyone’s business “.

The symposium was organized under the motto “Modern Food Control Systems as a Drive for Innovation and Investment in Food and Agricultural Industries.” This approach comes in line with NFSA’s vision, expressed by its Strategic Plan 2023–2026, to develop its control programmes, and through science-based decision making, to protect consumer health and re-build trust in Egyptian food products on both national and international levels.

The symposium was followed by a series of Egyptian global food safety symposia, deliberations, and discussions in collaboration with the Egyptian Chamber of Food Industries (CFI) and the Global Food Regulatory Science Society (GFoRSS), to confirm the urgency of collaborative work and further develop the food and agricultural industries sector – not only in Egypt but all over the African continent – towards new prospects for investment and development to meet food security challenges on both national and regional levels.

For the event, the NFSA also considered the World Food Safety Day theme for this year, “Food Safety: prepare for the unexpected.” “However mild or severe food safety incidents might be, the handling of food safety incidents and emergencies requires dedicated efforts from policymakers, food safety competent authorities, producers, food business operators, and consumers,” said Dr Tareq Al Houby,  NFSA Chairperson. He continued that “food safety is not only the responsibility of governments, but it is also the responsibility of producers, distributors, retailers and consumers at every stage in the food chain, so all of us as food safety regulators and competent authorities, have to coordinate efforts on the national, regional, and international levels to stay well.”

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