ALL SET FOR EAC HARMONIZATION OF FOOD SAFETY MEASURES IN KIGALI

An East African Community Regional Workshop on Harmonization of Food Safety Measures in Africa will take place 19-22 March 2013 at Hotel Des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda.

The workshop aims at harmonization of the food hygiene management through “Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) in Africa.

The main objective of the workshop is to facilitate the finalization of the technical details of the EAC food safety measures. An agreement is also expected to be reached during the workshop on how to implement the African Reference and Guidelines for Harmonization of the Management of the Food Hygiene in the EAC Partner States.

In addition the workshop is expected to cross-fertilize ideas with the African Union Commission and other regional economic communities (ECOWAS, COMESA) in order to domesticate and apply the Reference and Guidelines for Harmonization of the Management of the Food Hygiene in Africa.

The workshop is organized by the EAC in partnership with the European Union.

The East African Community is currently implementing its Food Security Action Plan (2011-2015) and preparing to implement the Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Protocol (SPS) that was approved by the EAC Council of Ministers and the Summit last year.  

The SPS measures as prepared by EAC are in four volumes including: SPS Volume I: Phytosanitary measures and procedures for Plants; (ii) SPS Volume II: Zoosanitary measures and procedures for Mammals, Birds & Bees; (iii) SPS Volume III: Measures and procedures for Fish and Fisheries; and (iv) SPS Draft Harmonized Food Safety Measures.