|
EAC states adopt international food quality standards
2006-07-14 09:01:07
By Judica Tarimo
East African partner states - Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, have started adopting international standards of checking quality of food and related products right from the production points to the end-users.
Experts from the regional bloc’s bureau of Standards and industries, met on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam for a three-day technical forum on the latest International Standard (ISO 22000: 2005) on food safety. Mladen Meglaj facilitated the training programme.
The ISO 22000: 2005 is the latest standard designed to check standard and quality of food and related products from the farm to the consumers.
Daimon Mwakyembe, Tanzania Bureau of Standard (TBS) Director General, said in his opening statement that the new system provides for strict controls of food chain from the ’’farm to fork.’’
The TBS boss said the standard defines the requirements of a food safety management system covering all organizations in the food chain from farmers to catering - including packing.
It also expected to combine all aspects of food safety at all stages of the chain including communication, system management, hazards control and continual improvement of the management system.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) is financing the project. TBS is co-ordinating its implementation in Tanzania.
Mwakyembe said yesterday’s meeting was part of approaches to help participants - trainers, industrial experts etc, understand the standard and modern techniques of food safety management.
Experts say adequate control throughout the food chain could assist to check the quality of food products adding however that combined efforts of all parties was essential.
The EAC partner states plan to establish effective food safety systems which are to be operated and updated within a framework of a structured management system.
Mwakyembe advised partner states to build on the existing management systems in the establishment of the proposed food management system. According to him Tanzania is in the process of adopting ISO 22000: 2005.
Bethuel Matemba, TBS Head of Quality Management Department, said the new standard seeks to reduce people’s risk to food-related diseases and other problems.
’’Food quality at every stage would be checked. This does not mean that the current state of our food is bad, but we want to adopt modern systems of monitoring the food quality,’’ said Matemba.
According to the official the trained trainers and representatives of domestic industries would spread the knowledge across the country.
|
