Appropriate food safety regulations in diverse food sectors

The regional FAO meeting will focus on the role of small and medium food businesses in the national and regional food chains, and the compliance challenges they currently face. It aims to offer a platform for regional and country experts to clearly discuss the food safety and quality problems these businesses face, and share experiences on possible solutions to ensure appropriate policies and regulations that consider the specificities of different food business sectors and facilitate compliance.

Specific objectives of the meeting are:

i) Acknowledging and discussing the root-causes of the challenges associated with new food safety regulations, specifically at the level of small and medium businesses;
ii) Having an opportunity to discuss the means to find a balance between flexible, comfortable and inclusive regulations, and the need to protect consumer interests and health;
iii) Sharing good practices, learning successes, and failures from the region on public and private initiatives to develop appropriate regulation, and implementation (including progressive introduction for different food sectors).
iv) Informing recommendations for food safety policy makers and regulators by exchanging information on the advantages and struggles in national contexts.