March 2021

 

KENYA : FAEA Sponsors Week-Long Workshop of Government of Kenya (GoK) Officials Drafting a new Food Safety Policy and Legislation (II) - Naivasha, Kenya

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FAEA sponsored and participated in the second Government of Kenya Task Force meeting on Food Safety Policy Review and Legislation on March 1-5, 2021 in Naivasha. The main objective of the second task force meeting was to finalize the Food Safety Policy and continue working on the draft Food Safety bill, that was initiated in December 2020.  The next step in the process will be to brief Cabinet-level Ministers and relevant Parliament Committee members on the status of the legislation and then meet with Kenya County-level officials and industry stakeholders to brief them and get their input for the legislation. FAEA also arranged for US officials from APHIS, FSIS, EPA, Codex, and FDA to make virtual presentations about their respective functions to give the Task Force members a better understanding of how the US manages and administers its food and feed safety regulatory system.  A copy of the workshop report is published in the Members Only section of the website.

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BANGLADESH : FAEA sponsored “Good Hygienic Practices Training for Food Handlers of Hotels and Restaurants” - Dhaka, Bangladesh

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On March 24-25, 2021, FAEA jointly with the International Development Group (IDG) sponsored the first of seven collaborative activities as agreed for CY 2021. The event was designed for Food handlers of Bangladeshi Hotels and Restaurants in Dhaka, with the objective to improve their knowledge and day-to-day practices of for the safe and hygienic handling of food in general, and food products represented by FAEA members, in particular.  FAEA selected and sponsored two expert technical speakers for the event and paid for the two-day hotel venue and catering.

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December 2020

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KENYA : FAEA Sponsors Week-Long Workshop of Government of Kenya (GoK) Officials Drafting a new Food Safety Policy and Legislation (I) - Naivasha, Kenya

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FAEA supported the first GoK Task Force meeting to discuss drafting of a new Food Safety Policy and Legislation.  It was held in Naivasha, Kenya from December 7 to 14, 2020. The meeting was a continuation of a process for developing the food safety legislation that was started a year earlier based on an FAEA sponsored visit to Washington, DC of 12 Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture and Health officials and Parliamentary representatives. The primary objective of the meeting was to seek consensus amongst members of the taskforce on a roadmap for food safety legislation, to review the proposed food safety policy in Kenya, and to initiate the drafting of the food safety bill.  USTR representative, Mr. Rufino Hurtado, was one of the key resource persons for this activity.

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FAEA’s Kenyan contractor assisted in organizing and implementing the meeting and communicated with the members of the Task Force of approximately 50 people from relevant departments and agencies of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries including directorates of policy in livestock and crops, Directorate of Veterinary Services, State Department of Fisheries, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS), Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), Kenya Dairy Board, and Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA); Ministry of Health, State Department of Trade, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of East Africa Community, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), and drafters from the Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC).

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November 2020

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FAEA Winter Board Meeting – Virtual

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The FAEA Winter Board Meeting was successfully held on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. All of the eight members (USSEC, USGC, USAPEEC, USDEC, NAMI, NPPC, Elanco and Merck) attended the meeting. There was a guest speaker, Mr. Rufino Hurtado from the US Trade Representative who gave an update on the U.S./Kenya Free Trade Agreement. The Board members received updates and discussed the 2020 Financial / Budget reports, 2020 activities, the status of the program for the remainder of the year, and discussed members' priorities for 2021 in guiding FAEA plans for next year. The next Board Meeting will be held in June 2021.

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FAEA begins collaboration with the Trade and Regulatory Capacity Building Division (TRCBD) on Food Safety and SPS activities 

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After several zoom meetings with the Trade and Regulatory Capacity Building Division (TRCBD) – FAEA and TRCBD agreed to collaborate on conducting training on Food Safety and SPS activities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Myanmar, together with FAS/W and the FAS overseas offices (covering Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Myanmar). This collaboration will also include collaboration with other organizations including the Food Safety Network (a collaboration between USDA/FAS, USAID, and FDA) that has been doing work on SPS capacity building programs in the some countries.

The first collaborative activity with TRCBD is a webinar training session on April 2021 targeting the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Commerce on the topic of WTO obligations and notifications under the SPS chapter.  FAEA is sponsoring the training session

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October 2020

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BANGLADESH : FAEA Organizes and Participates in Bangladesh Food Safety and SPS Coordination Meeting

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On October 19, 2020, FAEA organized and participated in a virtual meeting with 8 agencies/organizations that are conducting Food Safety and SPS capacity-building activities in Bangladesh. Organizations represented included USDA/Washington, FAS Dhaka Office, U.S. Grains Council (USGC), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Kansas State University (KSU), Alcumus Bangladesh, International Development Group Advisory Services, LLC (IDG), and Land O’ Lakes/Venture37 (LOL/V37).

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The purpose of the meeting was to give each organization an opportunity to share the Food Safety and SPS programs and activities they have been conducting in Bangladesh. This information will be helpful to coordinate what everyone is doing to prevent duplication of activities and identify opportunities for collaboration.

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Everyone agreed that the meeting was very informative and useful in planning and implementing current and future activities. As a result, the FAS Attaché at the U.S. Embassy Dhaka agreed to take the lead in coordinating future meetings on a quarterly basis.  The next virtual coordination meeting was set to be held on January 20, 2021.

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September 2020

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KENYA : FAEA Hires Food Safety Legislation Drafting Coordinator in Kenya

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FAEA hired Ms. Charity Mutegi effective September 14, 2020, to be the FAEA liaison with Kenyan Government officials who are drafting new food safety legislation in the country.  Ms. Mutegi is located in Nairobi and in addition to coordinating FAEA guidance and assistance in developing the food safety legislation, she is also representing FAEA in planning and implementing technical assistance and education activities that will facilitate the drafting and completion of the legislation and subsequent implementation regulations.

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May 2020

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FAEA Hires New Staff

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FAEA hired two new staff members to assist in implementing FAEA activities. 

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Rosida Nababan is the new FAEA Program Coordinator.  Rosida’s key responsibilities include gathering, analyzing, and sharing food and feed safety and animal health information on a monthly basis; providing back-up in managing the FAEA and MAP budgets; assisting with implementing capacity-building activities in the U.S. and international target markets; and designing, managing and updating the FAEA website and social media accounts.

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Rita Kishore is the new FAEA Codex Coordinator. Rita will assist in implementing all aspects of the Codex strategy and activities including developing and maintaining a network of Codex contacts in the U.S. and in target FAEA countries; gathering, analyzing, and reporting on Codex and food/feed safety-related information and standards; participating in the U.S. Food Industry Codex Coalition monthly meetings; providing technical training on meat, poultry, and egg food safety and Codex standards; and identifying foreign officials for participation in Codex committee meetings under FAEA sponsorship.

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FAEA Welcomes New Partners in Bangladesh

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International Development Group Advisory Services, LLC (IDG)

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FAEA and IDG entered into an agreement to collaborate in accomplishing shared objectives identified under the Feed the Future, Improving Trade and Business Enabling Environment (FtF- BITBEE) program that IDG is implementing on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The program consists of 3 components: 

 

1. Improving Trade Facilitation 

2. Improving the Business Enabling Environment 

3. Promoting Best Practices in Economic Growth Activities and their Application

 

IDG assists donors, governments, and the private sector to achieve sustainable, broad-based economic development and poverty reduction.