Le Comité de coordination pour l’Afrique a été créé par la Commission du Codex Alimentarius en 1972, avec pour mandat «la mise en application d’une coordination générale dans l’élaboration de normes liées à la région de l’Afrique». Le Comité a organisé sa première réunion à la FAO en 1974: 19 pays étaient présents.
Alors que le nouveau coordonnateur régional entamait son mandat, l’Accord portant création de la zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECAf), entré en vigueur au mois de mai 2020, a souligné le besoin d’un système efficace de gestion des mesures sanitaires et phytosanitaires, notamment dans le domaine de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments, sur tout le continent alors que ses frontières sont ouvertes au commerce.
Le coordonnateur régional opère au sein du Bureau national de normalisation d’Ouganda, établissement public placé sous l’égide du Ministère du commerce, de l’industrie et des coopératives, qui surveille, dans le cadre de son mandat, la promotion et l’utilisation des normes.
En tant que coordonnateur régional, l’Ouganda souhaite s’impliquer davantage auprès des pays, notamment au travers d’enquêtes, de séminaires web et d’ateliers, afin d’identifier les besoins et les problématiques émergentes, mais aussi sensibiliser aux questions prioritaires de sécurité sanitaire des aliments et aux normes du Codex. Par ailleurs, une étude pilote s’intéressera plus largement à l’état de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments dans la région. En renforçant son engagement auprès d’organismes régionaux tels que l’Union africaine, l’Organisation régionale africaine de normalisation et le secrétariat de la zone de libre-échange continentale africaine, l’Ouganda vise aussi à améliorer le travail de plaidoyer dans la région.
Malawi joined the global campaign in the commemoration of the World Food Safety Day on 7th June 2021. The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the National Codex Committee for Malawi, Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization – Malawi Country Offices organized a live panel discussion on Times TV, Times Radio and Times 360 Malawi Facebook page as main event to celebrate the day in Malawi. Under this year’s theme-slogan, “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow [...]
The Beninese Food Safety Agency (ABSSA) organized a nationwide celebration of World Food Safety Day for 7 June, to raise public awareness about food safety among the general public and food workers and encourage action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks.
Government dignitaries appeared on television in the run up to the day itself to ensure maximum publicity for the event. In addition to print media coverage, on 2 June, the Director General of ABSSA, Épiphane Sètondji Hossou, appeared on [...]
The Food Safety Summit South Africa, held virtually on 8-9 June 2021, in honour of World Food Safety Day, proved to be another successful and informative event. True to the maxim that “food safety is everybody’s business”, the event co-hosts, Food Focus and Anelich Consulting, composed a programme that covered an array of multifaceted topics relevant across the food chain.
Delegates were given access to cutting-edge presentations from almost 20 local and international doctors, professors, and food safety professionals from a [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
