I. Objectives of the Initiative

The consumption of safe and nutritious food is the major contributor to good health. Traditionally, people ate most of their meals at home. However, due to changing lifestyles and increasing demands at the work place, more people are consuming foods outside their homes. That is processed foods, fast foods and street foods; in places such as restaurants, sandwich shops, cafes, schools, hotels, and many other food service establishments. Moreover, our local food industry is not only serving the local market, but has increasingly made good strides towards the export market, an important element of the Economy of the country.

Let us say it in simple words: How safe are our foods? Whether locally consumed or exported? Nothing can harm the food industry more than the reputation of unsafe food products, and the detention of exported foods.

The Question is: Where are we today as far as food safety control in Lebanon. This is the subject of our meeting this morning.

Among the many good efforts of different International organizations, UNIDO, with the efforts of Mr. Papuli and UNIDO’s headquarters in Vienna, organized a comprehensive two days workshop in June 14, 2001 at USJ on “FOOD SAFETY IN LEBANON- Enhancing the system to meet international requirements.”

Finding the urgent and compelling need to follow up on the recommendations, UNIDO under the directorship of UNIDO consultant, Mr. Karl Schebesta, proposed the formation of a Food Safety Panel composed of the coordinators of the workshop sessions. The main task of the Panel is to come up with recommendations for a workable system and structure of a Lebanese Food Safety System. This is to be based on supporting the Governmental Authorities concerned with food safety, and coordinating their efforts in this regard.
The Panel is composed of professionals mainly from major universities in Lebanon, namely, the Lebanese University, St. Joseph University and the American University of Beirut. In addition, to representatives from the related Ministries, those are Ministry of Economy and Trade, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Environment. The Panel also includes representatives from FAO, WHO, Syndicate of Lebanese Food Industrialists, Syndicate of Restaurants, LIBNOR, Industrial Research Institute, and NGO’s. The Academia Professors are:
1. Dr. Hussein Deeb,  Prof. of Food Science and Technology, Lebanese University
2. Dr. Toufik Rizk, Prof. of Chemistry, St. Joseph University
3. Dr. May Jurdi, Prof. of Environmental Health, AUB
4. Dr. Raja Tannous, Prof. of Food Technology and Nutrition, AUB
5. Mrs. Raghida Hossary, Course Director, School of Public Health Inspectors

And Coordinator of the Panel,Mr. Bassel Al Khatib,
UNIDO National Consultant on Food Safety
 

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II. Plan of Work
The plan of work of the Panel focused at first on collecting data, information and opinions of all major stakeholders involved in food safety.
For this purpose, the Panel held numerous separate meetings with stakeholders through their representatives. These Meetings, coordinated by Mr. Bassel Al Khatib, were held with representatives of the following stakeholders:

• Ministry of Agriculture

• Ministry of Economy and Trade

• Ministry of Industry

• Ministry of Public Health

• Syndicate of Lebanese Food Industrialists

• Syndicate of Restaurants, cafes and nightclubs.

• LIBNOR

• Representatives from U.N. agencies, FAO and WHO

• Representatives from EU.

• Representatives from major public and private laboratories in Lebanon

• Lebanese Association of Food Scientists and Technologists

• Experts and professors involved in risk assessment and management

• Others

 

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III. Specific Tasks of the Panel
The food Safety Panel from the beginning committed itself to the following tasks:
1. Studying the Lebanese food laws and regulations and the existing food inspection efforts in Lebanon. As every one realizes, the Basic Framework of Food Safety Legislation should be coupled with Inspection and Compliance Monitoring.
2. Gathering as much as possible information from the concerned government Ministries, on their specific regulations and their specific role in the food safety control system. To accomplish this tedious work, the panel was assisted by four graduate students, Miss Margueritta Eid and Mr. Charbel Afif from USJ and Misses Karma Arnaout and Maya Rbeiz from AUB.
3. Gathering information on Risk Assessment and Risk Management in Lebanon, from governmental sources and others such as hospitals, professional societies, experts and University professors.
4. Studying the governmental organizations and the operating food safety and inspection systems adopted by countries of the European Union, Canada, Australia, etc, to learn from their experience.
5. Assisting the food industry in Lebanon to overcome the hygienic and safety problems.
6. Formulating recommendations, by sharing and in coordination with stakeholders, for an applicable, modern, and improved food safety system for Lebanon, a system that can continuously be updated and is able to keep pace with a changing world.
7. Establishing a Lebanese Food Risk and Hazard database.
8. Preparing for training programs at the different levels of the food chain.
9. Increasing Food Safety Public Awareness in Lebanon.

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IV. Preliminary Findings
Preliminary major findings reached by the food safety panel at this stage include:

• Food laws and regulations are far from being complete or up to date, and thus need extensive amount of work to become a modern document worthy of the country.

• Although every ministry in the government has a certain mandate in dealing with food safety issues, there is lack in coordination among the different bodies, with sometimes overlap in duties, and almost completely confusing to the consumer and industrialists as to who should do what, when and how

• Food Safety practices are not being applied in many food factories.

• An effective and functioning Food Inspection and Compliance Monitoring System is almost completely absent, from the food safety point of view.

This morning we would like to present to you a progress report about our work, and some observations on our findings, and a glimpse about our intended future work.

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Solutions
UNIDO offers comprehensive services that range from simple advice and counsel, to providing engineers to implement global agreements on reducing greenhouse gases and industrial pollution; from helping women dressmakers in Africa to set up textile cooperatives, to transferring appropriate technology from one country to another. UNIDO specialists have helped countries build local capacity to handle their own industrial maintenance, to save on buying it in. They have helped solve sensitive problems of waste management. They have helped create good jobs. They have brought together the right experts with the right know-how.

 

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Financial Resources
UNIDO's financial resources come from regular and operational budgets, as well as contributions for technical cooperation activities. The eighth Session of the UNIDO General Conference, held in December 1999, went on to approve net appropriations of $132.9 million for UNIDO's regular budget for 2000-01, derived from Member States' assessed contributions. In addition, the Conference approved estimates of net expenditures totaling to US$28.2 million for the biennium, earned from overheads on projects implemented by the Organization.

 

Technical cooperation is funded from various sources. These include: voluntary contributions from donor countries and institutions; allocations by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer; the regular programme of technical cooperation financed from UNIDO's regular budget; and the Common Fund for Commodities.

 

• UNIDO field offices are maintained in the following countries:
  Africa: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia

• Arab Countries: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan

• Asia and the Pacific: China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Philippines and Viet Nam

• Europe and Newly Independent States: Turkey and Uzbekistan

• Latin America and the Caribbean: Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico and Uruguay

One Focal Point Office operates in Sri Lanka, while another operates in Ukraine.

In addition to that UNIDO operates a network of Investment and Technology Promotion Offices (ITPO) which promote business contacts between industrialized and developing countries and economies in transition. The ITPO offices are financed by the countries in which they are located: Bahrain, China, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea and Slovakia. UNIDO Centre for International Industrial Cooperation is located in the Russian Federation and Investment Promotion Units are located in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan.

 

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Comments and Proposals on the Existing Lebanese Food Safety System

1. Introduction
The need to implement a reliable Food Inspection and Food Assurance System, meeting international requirements, has evolved over the last year. It should be noted that while a number of sporadic food – borne disease episodes occur daily, few are registered by national authorities. Besides the direct health consequences, such problems impose substantial stress on the health-care system, and reduce economical output as a result of loss of confidence in the safety and integrity of food production and supply. This confidence is a vital need for consumers and an important requirement for European and International trade in food. Recently, a series of food safety alerts, from European countries (Sweden, Spain, …) have been instrumental in eroding confidence in Lebanese food. These alerts will have serious global repercussions if urgent attention is not given to our situation in the matter of food control. It will reduce public confidence concerning the general operation of our national food control system which is meant to protect consumers from unsafe and adulterated food and to provide adequate safeguards for public health..
On the other hand, Lebanese consumers are taking unprecedented interest in the way food is produced, processed and marketed. They are calling upon the industry and the national authorities to accept greater responsibility for food safety and consumer protection.

 

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2. Issues for Consideration
The problems of food safety and quality are multidisciplinary in nature. Moreover, our situation in this matter is critical (findings and conclusions from the report of Mr. K. Schebesta and Mr. Bassel Al Khatib, May – June 2001, UNIDO). On the other hand, at governmental level, many jurisdictions depending upon the constitutional powers of various Ministries and many activities have been undertaken to determine suitable approaches which would enhance the quality and safety of the food system, increase consumer protection, and assist in promoting trade in food. The result is a loss of confidence in the safety and integrity of the Lebanese Food System.
The Food Safety Panel, after a year of deliberation on this subject, brought forward several basic principles and issues that should underpin the design and operation of the Lebanese National Food Control System ( LNFCS), to ensure food safety and consumer protection. These issues are summarized as follows:
 

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- Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System ( HACCP) :
An important approach that can be applied to all stages of production, processing and handling of food products is HACCP. Now, local industry recognizes the HACCP as the fundamental tool for improving the safety of food and providing a better scientific means of identifying and analyzing food hazards in the operational process.

- Risk Analysis :
A food control system should rely on scientific principles and on the assessment of the risk to human health. It is widely defined as a process consisting of three parameters. 1) Risk assessment (hazard identification, hazard characterization, risk characterization); 2) Risk management (selecting and implementing appropriate control options and regulatory measures); 3) Risk communication (the exchange of information between all parties, about risks)

- Transparency based on stakeholder participation:
The involvement of stakeholders is required and they are allowed to make effective contributions. This participation will provide a mechanism for interactive exchange of information and encourage collaboration among all concerned stakeholders. The involvement of stakeholders contributes to the enhancement of consumer confidence in the integrity of our food supply, and facilitates the risk management process. This confidence is an essential outcome of a successful food policy. Effective communication requires that all interested parties have equal access to information and the ability to influence the process. Who are the stakeholders? The audiences may include the general public, scientists, the media, consumer and industry representatives, public health professionals, regulators, NGO’s , restaurant syndicates, friends of the panel, publications, regulatory agencies, and public meetings.

- Street food:
The effective application of a National Food Safety System framework requires knowledge of current food safety problems and their magnitude. One of the major problems is the hygiene status of street foods in our country. The government should be aware of the problems to be solved, in order to implement intervention measures. At that stage, it is appropriate to 1) improve environmental facilities by assigning special sites for vendors and providing water, electricity, etc…, 2) strengthening the training of food vendors and food handlers. 3) carry out studies on high risk foods ( application of HACCP in the cooked meat business)
 

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- From farm to final consumer concept:
It is required that safety must be embodied in food products from production through consumption. This means that producers, processor, transporters, vendors and consumers all play vital roles in ensuring food safety. Government regulators are responsible for enforcing legal and regulatory requirements, and for elaborating auditing performance of the system through monitoring and surveillance activities.
The application of a FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM requires an appropriate food control system within a national strategy. This national strategy is influenced by the responsibilities of various bodies of government, and the availability of human and financial resources.
International standards and international perceptions of risk should be taken into consideration. The necessary infrastructure for such exercise tends to be country specific.
 

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3 - Proposals for a National Food Safety System:
Objectives:
- Protection of the consumers by reducing the risk of food borne diseases
- Protection of the consumers from adulterated and unsanitary food.
- Maintaining consumer confidence in the food system which will contribute to economic development.
Activities:
A National Food Safety System should perform the following activities:
- Formulation of a national food safety policy
- Use the risk analysis as a science based foundation
- Development and updating food legislation, regulations and standards
- Coordination of food control activities and surveillance.
- Improving Food Safety Practices in Lebanese Food Industry
- Monitoring and audit
- Planning and implementation of food inspection
- Development of education, training and research
 

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- The basic components of a regulatory food control system are:
Food laws and regulations:
For the moment, the new food law is still under discussion. The authorities are wasting time and possibilities to create a framework which is well adopted to the needs of Lebanon. Our food control system consists of some official documents and laws giving legal definitions for unsafe food and describing the role of the five ministries involved in the so-called food safety system. Regulations ensure that only safe food is placed on the market, require prospective tools for enforcement, for example removing or confiscating unsafe food from the market, and punish the offender. We are seeking for food legislation reflecting a blend of scientific, social, political and economic forces.

Food Law must cover a wider range of provisions than those that relate to just food. It includes all measures related to materials and substances in contact with food. The regulation establishes the rights of consumers to safe food and to accurate and honest information. These regulations must establish the principles of risk analysis in an independent objective and transparent manner.

 

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Traceability:
Traceability facilitates the withdrawal of foods and enables consumers to be provided with targeted and accurate information concerning faulty products. The regulation provides for traceability of all food and feeds being made available to the competent authorities if requested.
Management of food control system:
Food control system requires operational coordination at national level. This coordination function must be performed by a central management entity depending on an adequate administrative structure with clearly defined accountability to carry out the activities of this food control system.
To ensure that management decisions are rational, and arrive in a transparent manner, active communication is to be emphasized. Prior to embarking on a risk assessment, risk assessors and risk managers should meet to identify food safety problems and issues, clarify risk management questions and goals, and agree on the scope of risk assessment.

 

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Inspection services:
These services provide the eyes and the ears of the system. It carries out inspections of food premises; collects food samples for analysis, and undertakes other activities that are necessary to determine compliance with regulations. A food inspector is a key functionary who has contact with the food industry, food traders, and the public. This means that these inspectors must be qualified and trained people for food inspection service. The whole integrity of the system depends on the reputation and integrity of the inspection service and to a large extent on the inspector himself.
This is why food safety educational and training programs are urgent and necessary at all levels of the food chain, as well as programs and activities which aim at enhancing consumer awareness.
 

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Laboratory services:
According to the report of Mr.Schebesta, there is still no accredited or certified laboratory for food in Lebanon, even though, laboratories play a vital role in the enforcement of regulatory food control measures and are considered to be an essential and highly technical component of the system.
They are engaged in microbiological and chemical analysis of food samples delivered by inspectors to determine if a food is unsafe and injurious to health. The utmost care is necessary to ensure the efficient and effective performance of the laboratory.
Our recommendation in this matter is to establish public and private certified labs for food, independent and credible, to assess if there is non-compliance with food standards.

Precautionary principle:
Food legislation has evolved over the last forty years with the establishment and maintenance of a high level of protection of human health. This is why new regulations establish the « PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE » as an option to risk management, when a decision is to be made.

 

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