The Chamber of Food Industries organized the second annual conference "Egypt’s Food" entitled "Sustainable and Increased Investment in Food Manufacturing," on Monday, 12 June 2023, in the presence of Dr. Ali Al-Maselhy, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Mr. Ahmed Al-Wakeel, President of the Union of Mediterranean Chambers, Dr. Tarek Al-Hobi, President of the National Food Safety Authority, Dr. Hussein Mansour, former President of the National Food Safety Authority, and a group of ambassadors, bodies, members of the House of Representatives and Senate, and heads of food companies.
On the sidelines of the conference, the Chamber also honored Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Her Excellency the Minister of International Cooperation, Dr. Ali Al-Moselhi, His Excellency the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Mr. Ahmed Al-Wakil, President of the Federation of Mediterranean Chambers (ASCAME) and the Chambers of Commerce in Alexandria, and Dr. Hussein Mansour, former President of the National Food Safety Authority.
Eng. Ashraf El Gazayerli referred to the efforts of Her Excellency Minister Dr. Rania Al-Mashat in the international cooperation axis, stressing that about 20,000 food establishments that are members of the Chamber benefit from international cooperation, through the provision of strategic partnerships and facilitated development financing for the private sector. In her speech, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat confirmed that what the Chamber of Food Industries is doing is an important model for the Arab world and for many partners in Europe by creating a great diversity in food products and paying attention to quality, sustainability and innovation. The Minister of International Cooperation said that the Chamber of Food Industries in particular played a significant role in the consecutive crises that the world went through, starting with the COVID-19 crisis, which was the first real test for the food manufacturing sector and the partnership between the state and the private sector. It confirmed that the food industry sector protected the economy and the citizens from a major crisis, as it contributed to Egypt overcoming the Corona crisis as it did not have any impact on the supply of food products to the markets, thanks to the close cooperation between the Chamber and the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade. Before delivering her speech at the conference on “The Role of International Cooperation in Developing the Food Industries Sector and Raising Investment and Export Rates,” Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Her Excellency the Minister of International Cooperation, was keen to conduct an inspection tour of the area designated for the projects, where the projects introduced their services, which included training and qualification, providing technical support, and enhancing competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies locally and globally, and developing the production system by providing technical consultations, field visits, and training to raise the efficiency of workers in factories.
Eng. Ashraf El Gazayerli, Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, also thanked Dr. Ali Al-Moselhi, stressing that his presence gives reassurance to food factories because he understands the nature of the sector’s work, its demands, and its vital role in economic and social development. He pointed to his excellency’s support in the crises that the world has gone through, such as the Corona crisis, pointing to his efforts in developing the complaints system and the crisis committee and linking them to supplies and a leadership that has a great mindset and experience, so that we were able to cross from crises to safety. Dr. Ali Al-Moselhi said during his speech that the food security system has become a top priority in all countries, international organizations, and specialized committees at the United Nations. He added that the Corona crisis and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis revealed the defect in global food security, which is based on the concept of globalization and supply chains.
The second annual conference opened its first session under the title “Legislations...the Unified Food Law and Encouraging Investment” with the participation of Dr. Tarek Al-Houbi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Food Safety Authority, Dr. Mahmoud Mumtaz, Head of the Competition Protection and Monopolistic Practices Prevention Agency, and Dr. Alaa Ezz, Secretary-General of the Chamber of Commerce, Eng. Mohamed Abdel Karim, Chairman of the General Authority for Industrial Development, Eng. Mohamed Shukri, Member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, served as one of the key speakers, and the session was moderated by Eng. Mahmoud Bazan, Vice Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. During the session, the position of applicable legislation was discussed, as laws have been applied since the 1940s. Therefore, there is an urgent need to issue a unified food law to unify all applicable legislation and update them in accordance with international standards, to provide safe food that preserves the consumer's health.
The second session of the conference discussed cooperation between the government and the private sector in compatibility with market requirements by presenting special efforts (farm coding systems, optimal application of pesticides, agricultural extension,...) with the participation of Dr. Muhammad Al-Mansi, Director of the Central Department of Agricultural Quarantine - Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Dr. Tarek Al-Houbi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Food Safety Authority, Engineer Mohsen Al-Beltagy, Chairman of the Horticultural Export Development Association, Engineer Ihab Al-Maghrabi, Member of the Board of Directors of Magrabi Agricultural Company, Engineer Ayman Korra, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Korra Agri and Member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, and moderated the session. Eng. Ahmed Al-Ayouti, member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, under the title “Means for promoting primary agricultural crops to enhance the competitiveness of food products in local and global markets.” The third session also discussed oversight of the food trading chain through a time plan to expand the oversight of the National Food Safety Authority to include all markets and governorates, applying oversight systems to establishments based on the principles of risk analysis, and working on oversight work to reduce commercial fraud practices. Participants in the session included Dr. Tarek Al-Houbi, Chairman of the National Food Safety Authority, Representative Shehata Abu Zaid, rapporteur of the Industry Committee in the House of Representatives and member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, and Mrs. Rana Al Gamali, Vice Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. The session was moderated by Professor Muhammad Saleh Salem, member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, under the title “Activating rational control over the food circulation chain.”
