The Ethiopian National Food Control System: status, challenges and recommendations

An effective system for ensuring food safety is necessary to safeguard the general population from contaminated food and its harmful health impacts. It can also benefit a country's economy by increasing agricultural exports. This report presents the results of an assessment of the Ethiopian food safety system covering (i) the landscape of the Ethiopian national food control system and (ii) current challenges concerning food safety in selected sectors in the domestic and export markets. Based on key informant interviews complemented with literature and assessment of the relevant policies, this study identified the mandates of key national food safety actors as well as the challenges of the national food control management system. The five pillars, food laws and regulations, food inspection and certification, monitoring and surveillance systems (official food control laboratories), and information, education, communication and training for food control were assessed. The main findings of this food control assessment are: • Food Control Management in Ethiopia is characterized by a multi-ministry approach and a lack of coordination, fragmented institutional set-up and overlapping mandates. Food safety laws and regulations should be integrated into a farm-to-fork strategy. Incentives can be improved through a market-oriented production and controlling system, food safety incentives and engagement of the private sector. Awareness of food safety needs to improve throughout the food system. • The Food & Nutrition Policy addresses the food safety challenges in the value chain. In addition, a comprehensive food safety law is required. Proclamations need updating and specific food safety standards need to be developed. • For inspection and certification of food, there are overlapping mandates between the organizations responsible for animal as well as plant production and processed food. The number of inspectors and resources need to be increased and inspection of informal markets added to their mandate. • The number of accredited laboratories with sufficient resources and with qualified personnel needs to be increased. • Risk communication and awareness about food safety needs improving throughout the vale chain Food safety needs to be incorporated in the curricula starting at junior school up to university. • The private sector needs to become proactively engaged in ensuring the safety of the food they trade, process and put on the market.