Food Safety Policy is an important food regulatory system tool. It is government responsibility to develop it and and mobilize resources for its implementation.

1. National Food Safety
Policy Development
By: Sayed Mohammad Naim KHALID
Feb 2014
Naim KHALID
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2. Who am I?
O Affiliation:
O Food Technical Adviser ( food safety & quality–
Agribusiness specialist )
O Where?
O
O
O
O
National Medicine and Food Board
Ministry of Public Health
AAFS consulting
AARDO NGO
O Contacts:
O Email: sayednaim@outlook.com
O Mob: +93 77 37 68 295
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3. The elements of food safety
Safe
ty
Policy Science
Law
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4. Why policy is needed?
O It reduce the burden of food borne
diseases.
O To achieve the desired outcomes, all
interests and food safety concerns must
be addressed.
O It provides:
O Basis for the establishment of national food
safety objectives
O Requirements, and
O Guidance for application to specific sectors
of the food continuum
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5. What is expected?
Safety
O Operators shall not place on the market unsafe food or feed
Responsibility
O Operators are responsible for the safety of the food and
feed which they produce, transport, store or sell
Traceability
O Operators shall be able to rapidly identify any supplier or
consignee
Transparency
O Operators shall immediately inform the competent
authorities if they have reason to believe that their food or
feed is unsafe
Key Obligations of Food and Feed Business Operators Issued by The Health & Consumer Protection DirectorateGeneral of the European Commission
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6. What is expected?
Emergency
O Operators shall immediately withdraw food or feed from the
market if they have a reason to believe that it is not safe
Prevention
O Operators shall identify and regularly review the critical
points in their processes and ensure that controls are
applied at these points
Co-operation
O Operators shall co-operate with the competent authorities in
actions taken to reduce risks
Key Obligations of Food and Feed Business Operators Issued by The Health & Consumer Protection DirectorateGeneral of the European Commission
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7. Who makes food safety policy?
O National governments
O Local governments
O International institutions
O Civil society organizations
O NGOs
O Foundations
O Other groups
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8. Objectives of food safety
policy?
To protect
public
health
To prevent
deception
To prevent
fraud
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To facilitate
trade
To prevent
food
adulteration
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9. Characteristics of food safety policy
Science based &
risk assessment
Non
discriminatory
International
Harmonization &
Least trade
restricting
Equivalence
&
Transparency
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10. Ethical issues in food safety
policy
O What ethical standards?
O Utilitarianism
O Deontological or virtue ethics
O Human rights ethics
O Trade-offs
O Which health problems?
O Preventive or curative?
O Poor vs. non-poor?
O Poorest or less poor
O Rural or urban?
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11. Process of development
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12. 1. Situation Analysis
O Data gathering and analysis
O Data sources
O Tools for situation analysis
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13. 2. Drafting of the national
policy
O A national food safety policy should fit within the framework
of the national health policy, and be consistent with the
overall health objectives.
O A good food safety policy covers:
O
O
O
O
Maximizing risk reduction throughout the food chain.
Addressing the farm-to-table continuum.
Developing science-based food control strategies.
Establishing priorities based on risk analysis and efficacy in risk
management.
O Establishing holistic, integrated initiatives, which target risks
and impact on economic well-being.
O Recognizing that food control is a widely shared responsibility
that requires positive interaction between all stakeholders.
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14. 3. Circulation and
finalization of the policy
document
O A wide circulation process, ensuring
representation of all the main
stakeholders.
O The review process should be objective
and transparent.
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15. 4. Formal Endorsement and
approval
O It requires political will to implement.
O Political endorsement and support is
therefore a central element of policy
development.
O Formal adoption involves a legal or
administrative requirement for a
referendum, parliamentary or cabinet
endorsement
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16. 5. Dissemination of the
policy
O Disseminate to all relevant stakeholders
O A public event
O Announcement by the Government
O Dissemination mechanisms/ channels:
O press materials,
O media and
O meetings
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17. 6. Implementation of the
Food Safety Policy
O Defining and developing
Implementation strategies
O Defining implementation
responsibilities
O Defining resource needs
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18. 7. Monitoring and
Evaluation
O Define purpose of monitoring and
evaluation
O The primary purpose of M&E is to inform the
decision maker of the progress toward
achieving goals and objectives.
O Feedback loops for facilitating future planning
and resource allocation.
O Determining indicators
O Indicators are indispensable to the conduct of
evaluations yet they are nothing more than
variables that reflect a situation or make it
possible to measure change related to a food
safety programme etc.
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19. Parts of the food safety policy
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20. Foreword
O How did this arise?
O Why?
O What is the commitment of the
government?
O How other stakeholders are asked to
participate in implementing this doc?
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21. Introduction
O A look at the country’s food safety issues,
O Priorities
O Needs
O Emerging challenges
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22. Guiding principles
O Principles are the fundamental premises used
to develop and test policy and subsequent
actions including, decision-making, regulation
and enforcement.
O Define the key guiding principles:
O Technical,
O Operational and
O Philosophical
O E.g. inter-sectoral cooperation, stakeholder
participation, sectoral policy integration
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23. Policy goals, objectives and
targets
O Policy goals, objectives and targets
influence all aspects of the policy process,
most importantly the content of the policy,
inputs/resources needed as well as
implementation of the policy.
O Goals, objectives and targets should
broadly reflect the food safety priority
needs of the country.
O SMART goals, objective and targets
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24. Institutional structures
O National institutional arrangements and
structures for the administration of food safety
services.
O Define the roles and responsibilities of the
different tiers of government.
O Institutional structures must provide for
effective inter-ministerial coordination to
adequately provide support to the national
food safety policy.
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25. Policy implementation
strategies
O Define strategies,
O Develop action plan to ensure that policy
principles are applied
O Develop mechanism to check whether
objectives are achieved or not
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26. Policy details
O Holistic body of policy
O Coverage of all aspects of food safety
control and management.
O The following are examples of the policy
items, the list is not exhaustive:
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27. Policy details
O Policy guidance to promote and guide
adequate research, monitoring and food
surveillance activities of the sector;
O Policy is also required for human resources
development,
O Regulatory and legislative control for food
safety;
O Policy is required to give guidance for the
promotion of public education, information and
communication.
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28. Monitoring and evaluation
O Drawing mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness and
performance of the policy.
O Improve program implementation
O Data on program progress and implementation
O Improve program management and decision making
O Inform future programming
O Inform stakeholders
O Accountability (donors, beneficiaries)
O Advocacy
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29. Results Framework
Improved Health Status
Impact:
Strategic
Objective:
Improved (Sustained) Use of Key
Health Services and
Practices/Behaviors
Increased
availability/
access to…
Improved
social /
policy
environment
…
Strategies:
Intermediate
Result:
Increased
quality of…
Strategies:
Strategies:
Strategies (Sub
IR):
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30. Naim KHALID
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