National Conference on Food Safety

The Ministry of Agriculture organized a national conference on 24 December in Asmara under the theme “Working Together to Ensure Food Safety.” The event was attended by over 160 representatives from institutions actively involved in food safety initiatives.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Tekleab Misgina, Director General of Regulatory Services at the Ministry of Agriculture, highlighted the shared responsibilities among Government institutions in ensuring food safety. He emphasized their commitment to ensuring that food products in the market are safe and meet established standards, with each institution leveraging legal frameworks to address food control issues within its jurisdiction.

Mr. Tekleab acknowledged the complexity of food safety, which requires close collaboration and coordination among relevant stakeholders. He stressed that any gap in the food chain could compromise safety. He also pointed out that the main objective of the workshop was to exchange knowledge and experiences among participants and to generate ideas for improving food safety practices.

During the conference, research papers were presented on various topics, including the introduction of Codex Alimentarius and Eritrea’s participation, a review of experiences in ensuring the safety of agri-food products, and assessments of sanitary standards in food and drink catering establishments. Other topics included the evaluation of heavy metal status in sedimentary deposits of the Tokor and Mai Nesfhi reservoirs, the role of standards and testing in food safety, aquatic food safety control systems, the role of fish quality laboratories, and the impact of environmental factors on food safety.

Extensive discussions followed the presentations, resulting in several recommendations. These included the need to coordinate policies and efforts, clarify roles and responsibilities among stakeholders, strengthen research in food safety, enhance monitoring systems throughout the food chain, and conduct sustainable public awareness campaigns, particularly targeting food service providers as well as to extend food inspection services to local administrative areas to ensure comprehensive oversight.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.