Assessment of the Food Control System in Georgia by using the FAO/WHO Tool
In June 2023, The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), through the support of the European Union (EU) under ENPARD IV, started preparatory meetings and training sessions on the Assessment of the Georgian Food Control System. The training modules have been conducted to support the advancement of the country's food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary sectors.
On 19 June 2023, international experts of the Food and Agriculture Organization presented the EU-supported FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool at the high-level orientation meeting held at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA). The event was attended by the representatives of MEPA and its subordinated agencies.
The Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Kakha Kakabadze, Head of the National Food Agency, Zurab Chekurashvili and FAO Representative in Georgia, Raimund Jehle inaugurated the meeting. They underlined the importance of the efficiency of the national food control system and its pivotal role in protecting consumers’ health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade.
“It is important that with the support of FAO, we do have the unique possibility to start an in-depth assessment of the Food Control System. It means that we can analyse existing legislation, official controls, human resources, infrastructure and, based on this analysis, identify issues that need to be addressed for further improvement of our work” – noted Kakha Kakabadze, the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
At the meeting, FAO expressed readiness to support the assessment of the current system by facilitating the use of the EU-supported FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool. Four main dimensions: Inputs and Resources, Control Functions, Interaction with Stakeholders, and Science/Knowledge Base will be the main focus of the assessment process.
„Under the ENPARD IV of the EU, FAO focuses on the provision of support to the Food Safety and Sanitary and Phytosanitary System (SPS) in Georgia. This gives us the possibility to work closely with the relevant streams of the Government of Georgia to understand the needs for improvement of the existing Food Control System. FAO appreciates the expressed readiness of the Government of Georgia and all competent authorities to be involved in this process and to work closely with the FAO assessment team,” – said Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative in Georgia.
The assessment aims to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in the national system’s performance and provide evidence for improving the system based on specific, tailor-made recommendations. Based on the outcomes, priority strategic actions will be developed.
FAO Organisational and Training Team presented the assessment process and expected strategic results from using the EU-supported FAO/WHO Tool to assess the food control system and the roles of the focal points from different streams of Ministries.
“The methodology for the self-assessment has numerous unique features, including the holistic nature of the assessment across the food control system, engaging all key competent authorities to provide evidence and close communication with them throughout” – remarked Mary Kenny, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Officer, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia.
From 20 - 23 June 2023, the food control system assessment training was held at the National Food Agency. Among the training attendants were the identified focal points who will be involved in the assessment process. They come from state institutions, such as The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, the National Food Agency, the Scientific-research Center of Agriculture, the State Laboratory of Agriculture, the Revenue Service, and the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health.
The EU-supported training module covered an in-depth discussion of the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tools widely implemented globally and built the focal points’ knowledge of the specific activities and evaluation mechanisms defined by specific assessment criteria.
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The European Union supports rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013. The Programme started by supporting the development of national agriculture potential. Afterwards, it concentrated also on creating economic opportunities for rural populations in Georgia. Since 2023, the Programme has placed an even more significant emphasis on improving food safety in the country.