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PRESS RELEASE
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IS HOLDING A WORKSHOP ON EU FOOD
NORMS FOR MONITORING AND CONTROL OF RESIDUES AND
CONTAMINANTS IN FOOD OF NON-ANIMAL ORIGIN ON 17-18 APRIL
2007 IN CAIRO.
From 17 to 18 April 2007, the Directorate-General for
Health and Consumer Protection of the European
Commission (DG SANCO) is holding a workshop on EU food
regulations affecting imports of food of non-animal
origin coming from third countries. The workshop is part
of the Better Training for Safer Food initiative, run by
DG SANCO, which provides training throughout the world.
This event allows 80 participants from twelve countries
from the Middle East and North Africa to familiarise
themselves with European legislation on monitoring and
control of food of non-animal origin, including fruit,
vegetables, dry fruit, herbs and spices, as well as the
impact of EU policy in the areas of consumer protection,
inspection procedures and control systems.
Dr. Amin Abaza, Minister of Agriculture and Land
Reclamation, will open the workshop, at 9:30 am on
Tuesday 17, at CONRAD Hotel in Cairo, together with
other Egyptian officials, representatives of the EU
Delegation and DG SANCO. A press conference will follow
the opening ceremony.
This two-day workshop is divided into two parts. The
first day is open to both private and public sector
participants. It consists of plenary sessions on EU food
legislation applicable to the aforementioned products,
the general EU legislative framework and the overall
aims of the Better Training for Safer Food initiative.
During these sessions, participants will receive
information on aspects such as European Commission
guidelines for the development of official control
systems and training for third countries. They will also
be familiarised with the structure of EU legislation
relevant to food of non-animal origin and general food
hygiene rules. The second day is open exclusively to
participants from official competent authorities and is
dedicated to field visits to processing establishments
and the Central Lab of Residue Analysis of Pesticides
and Heavy Metals in Foods, where the Director, Dr.
Sohair Ahmed Gadalla, will welcome the participants.
The training and coordination will be provided by a team
of six international experts assisted by local
technicians from institutions involved in this field.
This is the second of seven regional workshops on EU
food standards, taking place in Africa, the Middle East,
Asia and South America during 2007. The programme aims
to help third countries exporting to the EU or wishing
to do so, to improve adherence to European standards.
Further information on the programme is available, in
English, French and Spanish at the project website:
www.foodinfo-europe.com.
Note for the press:
Press conference follows the opening ceremony on the 17
April from 10:00 AM at CONRAD HOTEL. Please confirm your
attendance to Dr. Nabih Abdellhamid Ibrahim at +202
5712049 or by fax at the same number. |
