African Manufacturers, Producers Urged to Comply With Food Safety Measures

Manufacturers, Producers Urged to Comply With Safety Measures

East African Business Week (Kampala)
NEWS
23 July 2007
Posted to the web 23 July 2007

By Shadrack Kavilu
Nairobi
Local manufacturers and producers have been challenged to devise national mechanisms to tackle emerging issues related to food safety and environment such as the carbon miles that are threatening to bar trade in the European countries.

African products such as horticulture continue to face technical barriers when exporting to the global market due to lack of compliance with the WTO agreements on food safety standards.

The WTO Technical barrier to Trade (WTO-TBT) agreement enshrines the rights of member states to take necessary measures to ensure the quality of products entering their territories are of high quality.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the National CODEX Committee stakeholders sensitization seminar, Permanent secretary ministry of Trade and Industry David Nalo challenged the committee to address critical issues which hinder market access for Kenyan products.

The consultative process involved extensive consultation among member countries and experts within several food related scientific disciplines that include participation of consumers’ organizations, production and processing industries, food control administrators and traders.

“Countries have to effectively implement Codex standards and recommendations to create confidence among consumers and be competitive in both the local and international markets,” he said.

Nalo said that Kenyan and the rest of Africa should find ways and mechanisms of predicting and forestalling international trends that might be aimed at blocking the country in participating in global trade.

The WTO agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures recognizes the standards and guidelines established by the codex Alimentarius commission (CODEX)) as a reference in international food trade.

Codex Alimentarius is a collection of standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations pertaining to consumer health protection and fair practice in food trade.

The codex system, Nalo said presents a unique opportunity for countries to ensure implementation of good hygienic food processing practices, harmonization of food standards and compliance with agreements for Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

Some of the critical areas that affect consumer confidence in commodities and hinder their access to international and local markets include; maximum residues limits for pesticides and veterinary drugs, food contaminants and toxins, food import and export inspection and certification among others.

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