Senegal Commission on Food Safety Re-Established with Standards Alliance Support
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), through its public-private partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Standards Alliance, supported the government of Senegal in reactivating its Food Safety Commission in Dakar,
Senegal on March 28. The Senegalese Ministry of Trade (DCI) hosted the meeting.
Following two Standards Alliance activities focused on consumer protection (the West Africa Risk-Based Consumer Delegation and the West Africa Consumer Protection Roadshow) DCI expressed interest in reactivating its dormant Food Safety Commission.
The Food Safety Commission was established in 1966 to improve food safety, reliability, and quality on the Senegalese market and its reactivation creates a vital link between government agencies to harmonize legal and institutional frameworks to
protect consumer health, safety, and economic wellbeing related to food products.
More than 50 consumer associations and government agencies attended the reactivation meeting, including the Minister of Commerce and the President of the Senegalese Consumer Association (ASCOSEN). Recognizing the importance of legal and
institutional coordination, the government of Senegal has made the Commission a high priority to streamline government activities and safeguard citizens. The Commission will coordinate legal frameworks as well as monitor and control
instruments to more efficiently identify hazardous or low quality goods in the Senegalese market. The Commission plans to reconvene on a monthly basis to ensure consistent communication between agencies and private sector stakeholders related to food safety and consumer protection.
Materials
Photos
