Validation mission advances food safety governance in Zimbabwe

An FAO mission to validate the data gathered on the food control system in Zimbabwe is being concluded today as part of an ongoing project to strengthen governance around food safety and plant health in 11 African Union countries.

The three-week mission involved field visits to abattoirs and agricultural manufacturing plants, meetings with Competent Authorities, and in-depth interviews with various authorities involved in the country’s food control system to review the evidence and verify data documenting the system’s effectiveness.

The validation mission comes after a four-month data collection period led by focal points from various agencies and institutions from Zimbabwe’s food control system, assisted by FAO. The focal points had received training when the project began in July around the FAO/WHO food control system assessment tool, a unique instrument developed by both United Nations agencies to assess the national food control system in a comprehensive manner.

The next phase in the assessment process will involve the development of an analytical report structured around the various dimensions of the tool and based on the data and evidence collected during the project. The report will be reviewed by the Competent Authorities involved in the data collection process and is expected to be endorsed at a final workshop scheduled for early next year. The entire process will culminate in the development of a strategic analysis and a plan aimed at strengthening the country’s food control system. 

Zimbabwe’s assessment is part of a 5-million dollar regional project, funded by the European Union and spearheaded by a team of experts from FAO. The project began in November 2022 with inception trainings in Comoros and final assessments have already been concluded in five African Union Member countries.

The project, co-signed by the Government, 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 Union Commission Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (AUC DARBE).  

Read more about the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool

Read more about FAO’s work in Zimbabwe here

Photo: ©FAO / Charles Mawungwa