Strengthening food safety and consumer health protection in Tunisia

In 2019, Tunisia adopted a new food safety law that provides for the restructuring and further development of risk analysis structures. In the joint project, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the BfR and the BVL supported this North African country in its implementation with a team of Tunisian staff. The various project activities were coordinated and implemented from the project office in Tunis.

Over the past five years, nearly 500 Tunisian official inspectors from the health and agriculture sectors have received further training in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) as part of the project, thereby strengthening Tunisia's inspection capacities in the long term. In addition, several workshops and training courses were held in various areas of risk analysis, such as events on microbiological risk assessment and the regulatory management of food safety. This has resulted in significant progress in the areas of food control programmes, data analysis and crisis management.

Numerous Tunisian experts participated in study visits in Germany, including the BfR's Summer Academy and the BVL's International Training for Safer Food, which fostered mutual learning as well as the exchange of practical experiences.

Another key project activity last year was the leadership programme developed by the BfR in collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of Health and the National School of Administration / École Nationale d'Administration (ENA). This interdisciplinary programme aimed to boost the food safety management skills of a total of 29 participants from eight different Tunisian ministries. To this end, workshops were held over a period of 29 weeks in a total of four modules: fundamentals of food safety, national and international legal framework for food safety, food safety-related risks, and characteristics of the food chain in Tunisia. The training sessions were conducted by international and Tunisian experts, which also promoted networking among the participating institutions.

At the official closing meeting of the project, chaired by Professor Hensel and Professor Böl, the most important results of the project evaluation were presented. Representatives of the German Embassy in Tunis, the BMZ and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) as well as the Tunisian partner organisations took part. Among the Tunisian partner organisations are the National Authority for Food Safety (INSSPA), the National Agency for Risk Assessment (ANER), the ENA, the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INNTA), the General Directorate of Veterinary Services (DGSV) and the National Animal Health Surveillance Centre (CNVZ).

About the BfR

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfR provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.

About the BVL

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) is an independent higher federal authority within the remit of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (BMLEH). The BVL contributes to food safety through a wide range of measures. It issues approvals and coordinates monitoring programmes together with the federal states. Within the framework of the European Rapid Alert System, the BVL ensures the flow of information between the EU and the federal states.

This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.

Press release in French
https://www.bfr.bund.de/assets/01_Ver%C3%B6ffentlichungen/01_sonstige_Dokumente/renforcement-de-la-s-curit-sanitaire-des-aliments-et-de-la-protection-de-la-sant-des-consommateurs-en-tunisie.pdf

Press release in Arabic
https://www.bfr.bund.de/assets/01_Ver%C3%B6ffentlichungen/01_sonstige_Dokumente/renforcement-de-la-s-curit-sanitaire-des-aliments-et-de-la-protection-de-la-sant-des-consommateurs-en-tunisie-arabe.pdf