Mikati pushes food safety measures

Experts say measures are not enough, legislation is needed

August 10, 2011- Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for boosting control on foodstuff production across the country.
He urged the relevant authorities to be more firm in giving licenses to new food-related institutions.

Mikati called for intensified laboratory inspection on food items, and for better observation at the borders to control the entry of imported foodstuffs.

The PM said that the cabinet approved installing quarantines at the Tripoli port, the port of Beirut, and the airport.
Mikati said that the relevant ministries should set a short-term plan for food safety management with the available capacities, and prepare a well-studied strategy for the medium term.

These measures are not enough, experts in the field of food safety say, but it is still better than nothing. Zeina Kassaify, the president of the Lebanese Association for Food Safety and AUB professor, said that controlling food safety requires legislation and an authority to ensure the implementation of the law.

A draft law on food safety has been approved by the parliament. The draft law, initially proposed in 2002, states the establishment of a national food agency.