The Brussels Development Briefing no. 52 on “Food safety: a critical part of the food system in Africa ” took place on 19 September 2018 from 09h00 to 13h00, ACP Secretariat, Brussels 451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels. This Briefing was organised by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the European Commission (DG DEVCO & DG Health and Food Safety), the ACP Secretariat, CONCORD and the Global Food Safety Partnership. 

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Food safety is linked, directly or indirectly, to the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those pertaining to ending hunger and poverty, and promoting good health and well-being. Food and nutritional security is realised only when essential elements of a healthy diet are safe to eat. Safe food is also vital to the growth and transformation of agriculture needed to feed a growing and more prosperous world population, the modernisation of national food systems, and a country’s favourable integration into regional and international markets.

According to the estimates made by the WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG), in 2010 the global burden of foodborne disease was an estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year, aggregating to the equivalent of 33 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Food safety related problems still account for almost 2,000 fatalities on the African continent daily. Contamination, diarrhoea and other foodborne illness outbreaks are still very high.

To improve the quantity and quality of food safety capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa, the Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP) commissioned a mapping and analysis of current institutions, initiatives and resources devoted to food safety capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa. The report, “Food Safety in Africa: Past Endeavors and Future Directions” provides data, analysis, and recommendations that organisations working on food safety in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) can use to improve the impact of their efforts. The report focuses on food safety capacity-building investments and activities of the international donor community and ways that both donors and African governments can better target and coordinate those investments, with greater synergy between the public and private sectors. The central theme of this report is that donors, African governments, and the private sector can work together to maximise the impact of food safety capacity-building investments and improve food safety. Everyone agrees that such collaboration is needed. The difficulty is catalysing and sustaining a shift in current practices.

The report provides findings and makes recommendations based on data from over 500 donor-funded projects and activities and input from nearly 200 experts and stakeholders. It provides advice to help donors and African governments better target and coordinate investments, with greater synergy between the public and private sectors.

NEW! on the subject of food safety and the food system in Africa

Background Note

Programme

Highlights

Reader

Photos

Biodata of the speakers 

Resources


PROGRAMME

08h00-09h00    Registration

09h00-09h15    Introduction to the Briefing: Isolina Boto, Manager, CTA Brussels Office [video]

Introductory remarks: Viwanou Gnassounou, Assistant-Secretary-General, ACP Secretariat [video]; Leonard Mizzi, Acting Director Devco C, Planet and Prosperity and Head of Unit Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition, Europeaid, European Commission [video; Michael Hailu, Director , CTA [video] ; Lystra N. Antoine, CEO Global Food Safety Partnership [video]

09h15-11h00    Panel 1: Ensuring food safety along the entire food chain

This panel will share food safety concepts, approaches and trends across Africa. It will present the findings of the GFSP study, lessons learned from selected countries and the implications for the investments in the sector.

Introduction to Panel 1 [video]

Panellists:

  • Food Safety in Africa: Past Endeavors and Future Directions
    Lystra N. Antoine, CEO, Global Food Safety Partnership  [presentation|video]
  • Importance and experience building capacity of informal markets in SSA
    Kristina Roesel, Jointly appointed scientist, Freie Universität Berlin and ILRI [presentation|video]
  • Market access for African countries agri-food products to the EU
    Michael Scannell, Director for the Food Chain, DG Sante, European Commission [video]
  • Building capacity of public and private actors on food safety: best practices
    Morag Webb, Policy Adviser, PIP-COLEACP [presentation|video]

Panel 1: Questions & Answers [video]

Panel 1: Conclusions [video]

11h00-11h15   Coffee Break

11h15-13h00   Panel 2: Drivers for success for improving food safety in Africa

This panel will discuss investments in African food safety capacity to improve public health, food security, and economically beneficial market access for African food producers. It will feature public and private perspectives and best practices.

Introduction to Panel 2 [video]

Panellists:

  • Enabling the private sector to support food safety in domestic markets
    Kelley Cormier, Division Chief, Bureau for Food Security, USAID  [presentation|video]
  • The role of Farmers in ensuring safe food in the value chain
    Elizabeth Nsimadala, Entrepreneur & President of Eastern Africa Farmer’s Federation (EAFF) [presentation|video]
  • What role food safety play in Africa regional trade?
    Chris Muyunda, Chairman of the Governing Council of CAADP Non State Actors Coalition [presentation|video]

Panel 2: Questions & Answers [video]

Panel 2: Conclusions [video]

13h00    Light Lunch

One thought on “Brussels Briefing no. 52  “Food safety: a critical part of the food system in Africa ”

  1. Dear Organisers
    It is my pleasure to get in touch with you. I am a PhD student in Food Safety and Quality from the University of Nairobi. Your next program is very interesting for me as i would like to keep close contact with experts in the domain in order to be always updated on food safety.
    Thanks for this announcement, i will always be interested by such even on Food Safety
    Looking forward to hear from you, I thank you for your time and consideration

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