Armenia takes a comprehensive approach to World Food Safety Day
In 2021, Armenia’s Food Safety Inspection Body (FSIB) initiated two World Food Safety Day events: A webinar on 4 June that focused on national food safety issues and, a conference on 7-8 June in Aghveran with financial support of the Strategic Development Agency in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Armenia (SDC).
The virtual event included a presentation from Mary Kenny, FAO’s food safety and consumer protection officer and Peter Hoejskov, a technical officer from the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
As Mary Kenny emphasized, the United Nations recognizes the importance of food safety to ensure food security, improve trade, employment, and alleviate poverty. She pointed at the need for robust food control systems to protect the consumer and ensure fair trade practices. To this end, Kenny talked about an ongoing FAO project that helps set up risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication methodologies on food safety, veterinary, and phytosanitary services in Armenia.
The intervention of WHO’s Peter Hoejskov centred around the idea of ensuring safe food now for a healthy tomorrow.
The two-day conference was attended by high-level representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Health, FAO, World Food Programme, UNIDO, as well as by trade representatives of the Russian Federation, and participants from a number educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, private companies, regional centres and associations.
FSIB has been organizing meetings, information materials for World Food Safety Day and shared them with partners and the general public through social media and also produced a series of food safety information posters targeted at young children, teenagers, and prohibited the sale of unhealthy foods in school cafeterias.
The webinar can be viewed here and has translation into English throughout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVt1ceYNp3M
For further information about World Food Safety Day reports, events and activities in Armenia, please see:
Republic of Armenia Food Safety Inspectorate website
Shamshyan News
Oragir News
Noyan Tapan News
A1 Plus News