malvernmugadzikwa
Online Reporter
THE 16-member Food Standards Advisory Board (FSAB) unveiled on Wednesday has its work cut out following the outlining of its mandate by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora.
Running for a three-year tenure until 2027, the board is chaired by Mr Panganayi Hare.
It is appointed according to the provisions of the Food and Food Standards (FFA) Act, Chapter 15:04 and is largely expected to play an advisory role on food standards.
Dr Mombeshora said the board, in accordance with Statutory Instrument 5 of 2015, will certify food products for purposes of local sale, export and import.
“One of your important functions is to participate in the international food standards setting activity of CODEX. To this effect, you are the de facto National CODEX Committee (NCC),” he said.
Codex is a collection of standards, guidelines and codes of practice adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The board’s duties include looking at new food products, ingredients or food articles on the market.
Board members are expected to formulate food safety and quality policy, as well as to amend food laws and regulations.
“It is, therefore, important that you work closely with other Government departments to ensure that consumers are not exposed to unsafe food and our farmers and food manufacturers can export foods to earn the much-needed foreign currency,” he said.
Zimbabwe is a signatory to various trade agreements such as the SADC free trade, COMESA free trade and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), among other agreements.
In terms of the World Trade Organisation Sanitary and Phytosanitary (WTO SPS) agreement, none of these agreements can override the country’s trading partners’ right to impose measures to protect human, animal, plant life and the environment.
Online Reporter