Abstract
Food safety standards are a necessity to protect consumers’ health in today’s growing global food trade. A number of studies have suggested safety standards can interrupt trade, bringing financial and technical burdens on small as well as large agri-food producers in developing countries. Other examples have shown that economical extension, key intermediaries, and funded initiatives have substantially enhanced the capacities of growers in some countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to meet the food safety and quality requirements, and improve their access to international markets. These endeavors often compensate for the weak regulatory framework, but do not offer a sustainable solution. There is a big gap in the food safety level and control systems between countries in the MENA region and those in the developed nations. This certainly has implications for the safety of fresh produce and agricultural practices, which hinders any progress in their international food trade. To overcome the barriers of legal and private standards, food safety should be a national priority for sustainable agricultural development in the MENA countries. Local governments have a primary role in adopting the vision for developing and facilitating the implementation of their national Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards that are consistent with the international requirements and adapted to local policies and environment. Together, the public and private sector’s support are instrumental to deliver the skills and infrastructure needed for leveraging the safety and quality level of the agri-food chain.
Highlights
Despite decades of research, the enactment of food laws, stricter regulations, and enforcement in both developed and developing countries, foodborne illnesses still persist as a global public health issue [1]
Local governments have a primary role in adopting the vision for developing and facilitating the implementation of their national Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards that are consistent with the international requirements and adapted to local policies and environment
This paper reviews the growing concerns over fresh produce safety, the frequent incidences of food outbreaks linked to its consumption, and the current trends in national and international standards to reduce the spread of risks in the global food chain market
Summary
The enactment of food laws, stricter regulations, and enforcement in both developed and developing countries, foodborne illnesses still persist as a global public health issue [1]. Some countries have not yet established adequate surveillance or reporting mechanisms to identify hazards and track foodborne diseases, in order to fully evaluate their food safety problems, including those involving produce, and ensure risk management along the complete value chain [22]. Even in countries with reporting systems in place, there is still underreporting and limited disease surveillance systems [23] This explains the assertion of some developing countries that the safety of produce is not a specific source of concern to them [24]; the rare monitoring of fresh produce-related diseases and the limited recognition of their burden [25]. This paper reviews the growing concerns over fresh produce safety, the frequent incidences of food outbreaks linked to its consumption, and the current trends in national and international standards to reduce the spread of risks in the global food chain market. This paper provides a synthesized overview of current evidence on the prevalent role of food safety standards as a catalyst or a hurdle to food trade, in order to create an understanding on intervening factors and their influence on the agri-food export activities in the MENA countries
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