The Benefits of Improving Food Safety

Professor Ewen Todd

Food safety in the Arab world should be seriously addressed, not only to protect consumer rights, but also to ensure that foods and food products remain marketable in competitive export markets, said participants at a symposium held at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (FAFS) on December 7. The gathering brought together a number of food leaders and specialists to find solutions for weaknesses in the Arab world's trends in issues of food and safety.

"The food we eat no longer comes from our direct environment, but from all over the world," said Economy and Trade Minister Sami Haddad at the opening ceremony. "As a result, many outbreaks of food-borne diseases that were once contained within a small community may now take on global dimensions."

The minister added that since the developed world has tightened its regulations on imported food, with good reason, Lebanese food producers have found themselves confronted with new demands, compelling them to improve their systems and methods in order to ensure compliance with food safety rules in Lebanon and export markets.

According to FAFS Dean Nahla Hwalla, the developing regions of the world lack adequate food safety and bio-security awareness and proper implementation, "Hence, we are constantly looking into new ways to make our eating experiences safe and healthy."

Hwalla highlighted the need for more research all along the entire food chain, from the field to the table. There is a dearth of information on the topic and databases for food-borne illnesses in the region are seriously lacking, often underestimating the incidence of disease by ten times.

Haddad said his ministry was working to provide support to the food production sector by upgrading laboratories that conduct food safety tests. One of the beneficiaries of this initiative is the Environmental Core Lab at AUB, which is one of 13 labs nationwide receiving support and training to achieve international accreditation.

Moreover, a food safety law has been drafted by the: Lebanese Cabinet and referred for endorsement, but the process has been halted due to political paralysis over the past year. In the meantime, the ministry is working to develop an independent Lebanese Food Safety Authority to conduct risk analyses of the various food safety production companies.

Musa Freiji, the FAFS Alumni Chapter president, said "Developed countries, particularly the United States and Europe, have long realized the importance of financially subsidizing agriculture and food production for the purpose of instigating innovation, technological advancements, food security and food safety. This policy has not changed for the past fifty years."