New initiative to improve food safety in Zimbabwe

 An effective national food control system is essential to protect consumers' health and to ensure fair trade practices, according to FAO.

Hazards in the food supply chain can have serious public health and economic impacts.

It is against this background that the Government of Zimbabwe with technical support from FAO will - over the next few months - assess its national food control systems as part of the pilot testing of a new draft FAO/WHO national food control assessment tool.

"Zimbabwe is among the first five pilot countries used to test and refine the tool. The tool, developed by FAO and WHO, is part of the Organizations' efforts to protect consumers through the use of national food control systems. The tool will ensure locally produced and imported foods are monitored for safety and quality standards," FAO reported.

"The launch of the food safety tool in Zimbabwe demonstrates FAO's continued commitment to providing assistance and technical expertise in the area of food control and safety in the country."

Launching the tool on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe (26 April 2016), the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Retired Brigadier General Dr. Gerald Gwinji, emphasized the importance for government and partner agencies to ensure that food which comes into the country as well as that which is grown locally is safe for human consumption.

The Permanent Secretary expressed his confidence in the tool and said that the initiative will strengthen the national food control system, "The Government of Zimbabwe fully appreciates FAO's efforts to strengthen and ensure efficient food safety in the country," said Dr. Gwinji.

The tool, which applies to food of both plant and animal origin, is based on CODEX principles and guidelines for national control systems, as well as other relevant guidelines to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in trade. The tool further covers controls by competent authorities on food safety attributes of food and also essential quality attributes as defined in the food law.

Speaking at the launch of the tool, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative for Zimbabwe Chimimba David Phiri expressed his gratitude to the Government of Zimbabwe for taking part in the pilot testing, which is an important global public good initiative.

"With the contribution of Zimbabwe, we hope to have a world class instrument which will be used not only by Zimbabwe but also by other countries of the global community to assess national food control systems, identify gaps and chart a way forward," Phiri said.

Other countries, which are already testing the FAO/WHO food control assessment tool, are Sierra Leone, Zambia, Gambia, and Afghanistan.