Page 51 - Trade and Food Standards

must not only involve cross-sectoral consultation to identify and prioritize weaknesses to be addressed, but also consider the conditions necessary to ensure that investments lead to improvements in the system that can be sustained.
What is required at the national level to implement food control programmes, and what are the capacities that need to be developed?
Key dimensions of capacity development
Food-control systems are complex. There are a number of functions and capacities involved. For the purposes of this publication, we can consider food safety capacity development under the following three broad areas: 1) legislative, institutional and policy frameworks; 2) the application of a food safety risk analysis approach and other evidence-based approaches to support food control decision making at various levels; and 3) technical capacities for programme implementation and monitoring.
These dimensions must be carefully synchronized and work together as interconnecting cogs in a unified machine in order to drive effective capacity development.
Enabling policies and food safety law
An institutional framework in a country must be clear, provide unambiguous guidance and set out legislative requirements. These requirements will typically be that food must be safe and suitable; food must not be adulterated, damaged, deteriorated or perished; and food must not be represented in a way that is false, misleading or deceptive. The legislation enacted will require food producers, processors and manufacturers to ensure that the food they supply is safe and appropriately represented to consumers.
Domestic food regulation, in the form of rules for setting standards, should ensure that standards are based on risk analysis using the best, most up-to-date and robust scientific advice. Legislation should also ensure consistency between domestic and international standards in order to facilitate trade.
At the policy level, a country will define its priorities and design laws that are both health protective and, at the same time, trade
Adequate strategic investment in developing national capacities for food control is a fundamental necessity. When a country addresses these needs, its participation in the two spheres of the system for food standards and trade will become active, its contributions relevant and results attainable.
facilitating. Codex standards and WTO agreements provide a basic framework to help members achieve these dual objectives through their national legislation.
It is food safety law that will ultimately regulate the behaviour of national actors in the food system. Coordination and effective communication among different institutions – including in the areas of public health, trade and agriculture, food safety, and the private sector and civil society – is required to ensure that the needs of all are considered in developing and reviewing food legislation.
Good regulatory practice
Sound national legislation in food and agriculture reflects international obligations while respecting the national context. Governments have recognized the benefits of applying GRPs to promote high-quality and cost-effective regulations that address national objectives and needs while also taking into account international obligations. Some examples of GRPs include: a
Part 2. The benefit of taking part 39