The effective participation of the Industry in guiding and developing food regulatory decisions workshop

The workshop was opened with a speech by Dr. Maysa Hamza, Executive Director of the Chamber of Food Industries, explaining the importance of industrial participation and developing sound regulatory frameworks for food in line with the shared commitment to ensure food safety by producing safe food and delivering it to the consumer in ways that reflect the highest standards of quality, sustainability, and innovation. She stressed that the strong participation of the industry plays a pivotal role in the responsiveness of regulatory systems and their ability to adapt to the future in light of the dynamics of global trade and markets and the rapid technological developments in production and thus pushes the development of the production process and meet the changing requirements of consumers, and that strengthening meaningful cooperation between regulatory authorities, industry leaders and stakeholders leads to not only scientifically sound and evidence-based nutritional regulations, but also practical and implementable regulations. Dr. Khaled Shedid, Deputy Director of the “TAIB” project, explained that the goal of this workshop is for the industry to have an active role with the legislator in organizing the legislative process and for the producer not to be surprised by the legislation, as well as to demand the adoption of a legislation that stimulates innovation and growth. He pointed to the fruitful cooperation between the Chamber of Food Industries and the “TAIB” project in spreading awareness of the importance of food safety and helping factories comply with the requirements of safe and healthy food. Prof. Samuel Godefroy, representative of the University of Laval and the International Organization for Food Sciences and Legislation, reviewed the solid regulatory foundations for food, global trends and international best practices, in addition to discussions on modernizing the contribution of the food industries to food regulatory programs and decision-making. The workshop included sessions and discussions on reviewing current practices for industry participation in developing food regulatory decisions and recommended areas for improving the food regulatory landscape in Egypt, along with recommendations to provide a possible environment for industrial development and ensure Egypt’s leading role in the process of making regional and international food regulatory decisions and best practices that enhance cooperation in the field of food regulation.