In the Seychelles, FAO leads an evaluation of the national food control system
This week FAO began a project to improve the food control system in the Seychelles. A 5-million-euro project funded by the European Union, "Strengthening of Capacities and Governance in Food and Phytosanitary Control”, will provide technical support and work with Competent Authorities and other leading institutions in 12 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Member Countries to build up capabilities, strengthen governance and improve strategic planning around two main components: food safety and plant health. As part of the food safety component, an assessment of the national food control system will be carried out in the Seychelles, which is the second country where the project is being implemented. A team of food safety experts from FAO will work closely with local Competent Authorities for food safety and relevant stakeholders, to assess the effectiveness of the national food control system and to develop strategies to improve the country’s public health and economic development.
Assessment of the national food control system in the Seychelles
The project, co-signed by the Government of Seychelles, falls within the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Policy Framework for Africa developed by the African Union (AU) to spur trade among AU Member States and is implemented in close collaboration with the African Commission Division for Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC DARBE).
FAO will introduce to Seychelles the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool, a unique instrument whose use is expanding steadily, which is designed to assess the national food control system in a comprehensive manner, by looking at the entire food chain, including production, distribution, the retail market and the consumers.
As part of the assessment, a team of FAO experts will assist the Competent Authorities of Seychelles through various assessment steps, culminating with the development of a set of recommendations and a strategic framework to facilitate their implementation.
Using a multi-stakeholder approach, the team of experts from FAO will work closely with the Competent Authorities for food safety and provide technical support to conduct the assessment, following the Tool’s guidelines and procedures.
Launch of the project and training of focal points
The training took place from 28 November to 2 December 2022, and included presentations, discussions, and case studies to train focal points on the technical aspects of the Tool and also on their respective responsibilities and activities in the subsequent phases of the project. The activities include data collection across the whole food control system. The training sessions also provided an opportunity for the focal points to be informed about the long-term objectives of the project and the transformational potential of the food control system.
The participants expressed their support and commitment to ensure the completion of the project on time and in full. “The art of healthy living is about how safe we manage our food production system at all levels,” said Philomena Hollanda, Manager, Risk Management, from the Tourism Department of the Seychelles.
Read more about the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool
Read more about the Seychelles
See the FAO in Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles website