Developing and maintaining national food safety control systems: Experiences from the WHO African region

The establishment of effective food safety systems is pivotal to ensuring the safety of the national food supply as well as food products for regional and international trade. The development, structure and implementation of modern food safety systems have been driven over the years by a number of developments. These developments include: a reorientation of quality assurance protocols; emphasis on the development of integrated and holistic food safety systems with a farm-to-table approach; increased recognition of the respective roles of the different stakeholders along the food chain; increased food trade coupled with obligations under trade agreements; and advances in the control of foodborne hazards. At its core, a modern food safety system includes enabling food laws, policies, regulations and standards; mechanisms for coordination; operational food inspection and laboratory services as well as national information, education and communication programmes. While progress has been made in some countries in the WHO African Region at modernizing their food safety systems, many others are still grappling with the basics for development of effective food control systems. The traditional food control systems in a number of African countries do not provide the concerned agencies with a clear mandate and authority to prevent food safety problems. Effective food control in a number of these countries is undermined by a number of challenges including limited awareness about food safety, inadequate enabling policy, outdated legislation and regulations; inadequate coordination; and inadequate capacity and resources for food safety. This paper reviews the components of a modern national food safety control system and examines efforts at strengthening national food safety control systems in the African Region. It includes experiences from countries that have made efforts at strengthening their national food safety control systems in view of current developments. The paper further discusses some of the challenges of food control systems in the Region and prospects for improvements. It concludes by suggesting the way forward for improving national food safety control systems in the Region.

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Public health and food safety in the WHO African region

African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development ◽

10.18697/ajfand.52.who-6 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (52) ◽

pp. 6317-6335

Author(s):

P Mensah ◽

◽

L Mwamakamba ◽

D Nsue-Milang ◽

C Mohamed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Food Safety ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Food Control ◽

African Region ◽

Short Supply ◽

Regional Food ◽

Safety And Health ◽

Safety Systems ◽

Safety Strategy

Contaminated food continues to cause numerous devastating outbreaks in the African Region. In Africa, a large proportion of ready-to-eat foods are sold by the informal sector, especially as street foods. The hygienic aspects of vending operations and the safety of these foods are problematic for food safety regulators. The global food crisis has worsened an already precarious food situation because when food is in short supply people are more concerned about satisfying hunger than the safety of the food. The aetiological agents include various pathogenic bacteria, parasites and viruses. Chemical contaminants are becoming increasingly important. Human factors including: unhygienic practices and deliberate contamination, environmental factors, such as unsafe water, unsafe waste disposal and exposure of food to insects and dust, undercooked food, and prolonged storage of cooked food without refrigeration are the main predisposing factors. WHO’s position is that food safety must be recognised as a public health function and access to safe food as a basic human right. The work of WHO in food safety is in line with its core functions and various global and regional commitments, especially the document entitled “Food Safety and Health: A Strategy for the WHO African Region (AFR/RC57/4) adopted in 2007. WHO has been supporting countries to strengthen food safety systems and partnerships and advocacy; to develop evidence-based food safety policies; strengthen laboratory capacity for foodborne disease surveillance; enhance participation of countries in the standard-setting activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission; and strengthen food safety education using the WHO Five Keys to Safer Food . The implementation of the Regional Food Safety Strategy adopts a holistic farm-to-fork approach which addresses the entire food control system. Much has been achieved since the adoption of the document Food Safety and health: A Strategy for the WHO African Region, but commitment to food safety still remains low due to competing priorities. In particular, countries are now shifting away from fragmented food control implementation towards multi-agency and coordinated as well as single agency systems. The Codex Trust Fund has facilitated participation and capacity building for Codex work. Although funding for the Food Safety Programme has increased as compared to the levels in 2002, this remains inadequate. WHO will continue to support countries to strengthen food safety systems in line with its core functions and as enshrined in the regional food safety strategy.

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Prevention and Control of Foodborne Diseases in Middle-East North African Countries: Review of National Control Systems

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17010070 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 70 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dima Faour-Klingbeil ◽

Ewen C. D. Todd

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Middle East ◽

Control Systems ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Building Blocks ◽

International Standards ◽

Foodborne Diseases ◽

Management Approach ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Food Control

Foodborne diseases continue to be a global public health problem with an estimated 600 million people falling ill annually. In return, international standards are becoming stricter which poses challenges to food trade. In light of the increasing burden of foodborne diseases, many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have upgraded their food laws and undertaken changes to the organizational structure of their regulatory institutions to maintain or expand international export activities, tighten control on local and imported products, and protect consumers’ health. However, until this date, the published information on the regional health burdens of foodborne diseases is very limited and it is not clear whether the recent changes will serve towards science-based and effective preventive functions and the adoption of the risk management approach. In this review, we summarize the recent food safety issues and the national food control systems of selected countries in the region although we were challenged with the scarcity of information. To this end, we examined the national food safety systems in the context of the five essential elements of the FAO/WHO Guidelines for Strengthening National Food Control Systems. These five elements—food law and regulations; food control management; inspection services; laboratory services; food monitoring; and epidemiological data, information, education, communication, and training—constitute the building blocks of a national food control system, but could also serve as tools to assess the effectiveness of the systems.

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