By Adam Colley
In the Gambia, food safety is more than a health concern it is a matter of public trust and well-being. Food Safety and Quality Authority (FSQA) is mandated to ensuring that the food on people’s tables is safe, fresh, and of high quality. As expired and sub-standard food products continue to find their way into markets and homes, the FSQA faces increasing challenges in its mission. This story delves into the work of the FSQA examining how the authority battles the sale of expired goods, enforces food safety laws, and raise awareness to protect consumers nationwide. Abdoulie Jallow the principal food inspector at the Food Safety Quality Authority, explained that the primary role of the authority is to ensure that all foods products in The Gambia meet the highest safety and quality standards.
Mr. Jallow noted that the Authority is well structured and equipped to ensure food safety. He highlighted that they have three Directorates at the Authority that work closely to ensure that goods are safe and healthy. Moreover, He went on to explained the specific roles each directorate plays in exercising the primary mandate of the Authority. The Food Control Directorate is responsible for the inspection, auditing, and certification, the Scientific Affairs Directorate, is responsible for Research and Laboratory-related issues and the Regulatory and Enforcement Unit, is responsible for the development of regulations, legal matters, and more importantly enforcement of the Authority’s mandate.
“These units work together through a holistic approach ensuring that food is inspected, establishments are audited, laboratory analyses are conducted when needed, and new regulations are enacted and enforced when needed. More than half of the food consumed by Gambians is acquired through the informal sector or markets. This makes it challenging to regulate and control. This is why we invest and engage in a lot of communication and consumer sensitization”, he asserted. He also elaborated on the main strategies FSQA methods use to identify and remove expired foods from markets and shops. Mr. Jallow said that they generally go out for inspections and audits daily, so most of the food safety issues that they tackle are discovered through these routine inspections.
When their trained inspectors go to these establishments they are not only focused on expired foods, they have an exhaustive approach that ensures that all other aspects of the establishments are also checked and fixed if need be. For example, they look at three things mainly: Premises - establish if the food business is located in a clean, dust-free, pest-free, stagnated water-free area, as well as whether it is located in proximity to chemical production areas. Secondly, the personnel working in the establishment are also inspected to determine their hygiene. The personal inspection is also to determine whether he/she has the required knowledge and attitude to handle and dispense food as well as whether his/her clothing is appropriate and clean for the sale of food. Thirdly, the expiry date of the products itself is inspected. Whether the products are maintained within the required temperatures, are they well packaged and protected against dust and pests?
It is through these approaches and methods that the Authority is able to identify and tackle food safety-related issues. The Authority also works closely with the public and has a toll-free line through which the Authority receives alerts from concerned consumers, which are followed and acted upon immediately. He also explained that when inspectors identify expired food products, they confiscate the food items (a confiscation certificate is issued to the seller) and depending on the quantity, these are destroyed on the spot in front of the owner in the case of small quantities. “When large quantities are involved, the food is confiscated, a report is written and then the Directorate of Enforcement is involved. The Enforcement Directorate then written to the National Environmental Agency seeking advice on how and where to dispose the detained expired food. Once the NEA act on this letter, the expired food is disposed off safely.” He noted.
He added that they have a special officer, called the Risk Communication Officer who educates vendors and consumers about the risks of expired food and she is responsible for communicating and raising awareness among the consumers. Mr. Jallow further said that they have seen improvement see an increase in consumer awareness in recent years, which is good. In conclusion, he said the authority collaborate with many stakeholders, as Food Safety is a crosscutting issue, consequently they have the obligation to work with others. Recently the authority embarked on a joint-site seeing exercise with the Brikama Area Council to major fish smoking sites along the coastal area.
Food Safety and Quality Authority was established through an act of parliament in 2011 and started its operations in 2013. It is principally mandated to exercise official control of food and feed (including bottled water) whether nationally produced or imported. The Authority’s main work is to ensure that food produced, marketed, and consumed in the Gambia is safe and wholesome. The Authority also represents the country in major food safety-related multilateral agencies like the CODEX Alimentarius Commission and the World Trade Organization among others
