The ‘Coordinating Committee for Africa’ was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1972 with a mandate to “exercise general coordination in the preparation of standards relating to the region of Africa”. The committee held its first meeting at FAO in 1974, with 19 countries in attendance.
As the new regional coordinator begins their term, the Agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect in May 2020, has reinforced the need for an efficient and effective system for managing sanitary and phytosanitary measures, in particular food safety, across the continent as its borders open for trade.
The regional coordinator is based in the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, a statutory body under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives which oversees, as part of its mandate, the promotion and use of standards.
As regional coordinator, Uganda intends to engage closely with countries via surveys, webinars and workshops to identify needs and emerging issues, create awareness of priority food safety issues and of Codex standards. A pilot study will also explore the food safety situation in broader terms across the region. By strengthening engagement with regional bodies such as the African Union, the African Organisation for Standardisation and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Uganda also aims to enhance advocacy work in the region.
On World Food Safety Day in particular, people are often reminded that if food is not safe, it is not food. In her address to the annual World Food Safety Day workshop at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria, Professor Folake Henshaw went further. “If your food is not safe,” she told the 1000-seater hall, “it’s poison!”
Henshaw is well known for her outspoken and passionate approach to spreading the word on food safety. Indeed, one of the reasons [...]
To mark World Food Safety Day this year, young people in Burkina Faso were taught about food hazards, good food hygiene and the “five keys to safer food,” which are promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). Across the 12 districts of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, 16-to-20-year-olds were trained over a period of three days on “awareness sessions on food safety and the means to ensure daily healthy food.”
Between 8 and 10 June, pairs of experts, including food safety experts [...]
From 1 to 2 June 2021, a Technical Capacity Building Workshop for members of the National Codex Alimentarius Committee was held in Bohicon (BENIN). The aim was to train stakeholders on the procedures of the Codex Alimentarius, the online commenting system, participation in electronic working groups. An FAO expert (Luc Ingenbleek) from Italy and a WHO expert (Lusubilo Mwamakamba) from Burkina Faso, who joined online, in collaboration with local experts facilitated the workshop. Participants came from the technical directorates of [...]
On World Food Safety Day, the Minister of Health and Wellness of Botswana, Dr Edwin G Dikoloti, was joined by several ministerial dignitaries and representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in a public event where he delivered a keynote address on the importance of food safety for Botswana.
Minister of Health and Wellness of Botswana, Dr Edwin G Dikoloti
Dr Puna Gasennelwe, a Public Health Specialist hosted the event on [...]
On World Food Safety Day, Senegal’s Minister for Health and Social Action presided over a food safety exposition in the country’s capital, Dakar, on 7 June, and gave a speech about the need to promote food safety “for our health and for our economy.”
Events were organized in Dakar and Kaolack to raise awareness among stakeholders on the importance of food safety and the implementation of strategies that ensure safer food, to avoid foodborne illness. Panel discussions were also convened. The [...]
In Tanzania, representatives of government, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) were all active across mainstream and social media on 7 June to promote World Food Safety Day.
In a televised press conference, Rose Shija Muhangwa, on behalf of the WHO representative to Tanzania and Bwana Gervas Kaisi, Acting Director of Quality Control at the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) held a joint press conference in which they each highlighted the collective responsibility of keeping food safe. “Citizens have [...]
The National Quality Association of Tanzania (NQAT) has issued an invitation for a series of webinars with the World Food Safety Day theme of “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow.” During the webinars, prominent industry leaders and professionals will share their experiences -including challenges, opportunities and success stories - relating to the domain of food quality.
The webinars will offer practical insights on how to improve food safety, with the aim of promoting quality awareness and knowledge in industry, commerce, [...]
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are to host a 2-hour webinar for World Food Safety Day, in conjunction with the Codex Alimentarius Secretariat and the Codex Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA). The event is entitled “Acting across national borders in the region for ensuring safe food for a healthier tomorrow.”
The 8 June event will concentrate on countries’ need to invest in strengthening national food control [...]
On June 7, 2021, Kenya joined the rest of the world in celebrating the 3rd World Food Safety Day. The theme of this year being ‘Safe Food Today, for a Healthy Tomorrow,’ the country organized an online webinar to raise awareness and inspire action on the importance of food safety in the country and the African region at large.
The National Planning Committee Coordinated by the Ministry of Health held a 5-hour webinar which included panelists from various stakeholders of food [...]
In Cape Verde, the Independent Regulatory Authority for Health (Entidade Reguladora Independente da Saúde), ERIS, has joined the celebration of World Food Safety Day with an online event under the theme of the year "Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow. In this context, the Independent Regulatory Authority for Health plans to launch the "Manual of Good Hygiene Practices for Food Establishments".
The opening address will be given by Dr. Eduardo Tavares, Chairman of the Board of ERIS Administration. The first panel will see Raul Garcia [...]
