Project Overview:

Unsafe food is a global threat to human health and economies. According to annual World Health Organization estimates, food-borne diseases cause 600 million illnesses and 420 000 deaths. Unsafe food also represents a huge burden on economies due to disruptions or restrictions in agri-food trade, loss of food and incomes, and wasted natural resources.

From production to consumption, managing food safety risks is a continuous process of adaptation and improvement. Collaboration among food supply chain actors, underpinned by robust governance, agreed international standards and harmonized regulations, is essential to food safety. Competent authorities must implement these regulations and guiding materials, and ensure effective coordination of activities, while businesses must guarantee safe food production and distribution.

This project will focus on strengthening food safety control systems in five countries in the region – Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan and Turkey – and fostering regional cooperation.

The project countries have made significant changes and improvements in their food control systems in recent years. Recognizing the specific context of each national food safety control system, the project will focus on providing support for each country tailored to their needs, as well as on several common challenges from a regional perspective. 

The project will support the recipient countries to: 

• strengthen institutional arrangements and working processes for official food safety controls, consistent with the risk analysis framework;

• improve knowledge and practical skills in food safety risk communication, as well as response capacities for food safety emergencies;

• increase the capacities of national food safety authorities to implement risk-based inspection and support the capacity development of food business operators on food safety management;

• increase the capacities of food business operators and public authorities of selected value chains in the area of food safety management practices, in order to reduce food safety risks.

Concretely, the project will improve collaboration between the different actors in order to provide an enabling environment for the development of a food safety culture. It will also improve communication among food safety authorities on food safety risks as well as with consumers and food chain actors, and strengthen the implementation of risk-based food safety control and inspections. 

To achieve the expected results, the project will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences among the participant countries, and bring Turkish expertise and experience in these areas to other project countries. 

In addition, the project will promote synergies,communication and knowledge transfer with other completed and ongoing food safety projects, allowing for the efficient use of capacity development resources and working to harmonize approaches in the region.

The project will represent a step forward towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, supporting the countries in improving their food safety systems to ensure safe food for all.