In celebration of World Food Safety Day, the National Food Agency of Georgia has presented its annual report. The event was opened by Mr. Levan Davitashvili, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, who highlighted the achieved results and new challenges and thanked FAO and other international organizations for their continuous support in ensuring food safety in the country.

"I would not exaggerate to state that in terms of food safety, the ministry has been working continuously, consistently and we have obtained significant progress. Of course, challenges in this area still remain. The most important thing to pay attention to is that food safety is not only the responsibility of the state but it is the responsibility of the society, of each entrepreneur and of the relevant associations. We can achieve better results only through joint efforts," Mr. Davitashvili said.

Mr. Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (left)

It has been stressed that the National Food Agency actively cooperates with the world's leading international organizations, it shares and implements the standards recognized by them. In 2015-2020, under the DCFTA Agreement, 146 legal acts concerning food safety, veterinary and plant protection were amended in line with EU legislation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, FAO has been actively supporting the Government of Georgia in creating and implementing an institutional, legal and regulatory environment. According to Mr. Mamuka Meskhi, Assistant FAO representative in Georgia, the organization will continue its efforts to help the country ensure food safety.

"Recently, significant steps have been taken for better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life. Implementation of the FAO-supported programmes in Georgia, including National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS), are worth to be noted. We are ready to continue our support with the new, upcoming initiatives which, we believe, will largely contribute to food safety, environmental and human health protection in the country,” Mr. Meskhi said.

As reported by the National Food Agency at the event, this year, 10,650 state controls (inspections, document survey, supervision) have been carried out over the business operators of different profiles in Georgia; 888 administrative offenses were detected and 656 samples were taken (study of samples of animal and non-animal food are carried out according to various parameters, including: species, prohibited substances, heavy metals, pesticides, waste, trans fats, genetically modified organisms, salmonella, listeria).

For animal health and epizootic welfare, the agency’s veterinarians conducted 1,964,587 veterinary manipulations across the country; 184,774 livestock were identified; During the seasonal drift, 327,453 livestock were treated against external parasites. In order to protect the interests of farmers, control of veterinary and plant protection products has been intensified. Plant protection measures are actively underway, including the fight against Stink bug.

World Food Safety Day has been celebrated annually by the United Nations since 2019 and aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.