Building Safe Food Chains in Developing Countries: Implications of a Case Study Mozambique

摘要

Food Safety and Food Security are intrinsically linked. Food security issues faced by developing countries, like famine, malnutrition and starvation have tended to dominate the policy agenda, leaving food safety as a secondary issue with both governments and stakeholders struggling to enable this important health and trade factor to be taken into account. The purpose of this case study is to analyse, and delve into, the food safety status in Mozambique, a developing country in Africa, streamlining the food safety considerations and recommendations of key points that could guide towards the achievement of safer food chains. This struggle can be seen in the reality experienced by entrepreneurs of the food industry when trying to implement an effective and legally compliant food safety system from farm to fork. Despite the efforts of international organizations to strengthen food safety in African developing countries, case study experience shows that huge gaps and challenges remain. While a number of countries and subsectors in the African region have achieved notable progress in implementing food safety strategies, many are still struggling. Like other developing countries, Mozambique urgently needs to address food safety concerns as a whole including public health, domestic and international market perspectives, with the proper involvement of all stakeholders.