For his part, Dr. Tarek Al-Houbi, Chairman of the National Food Safety Authority, confirmed that the Authority’s keenness on the participation of the Chamber of Food Industries and the Export Councils in issuing any new mechanisms and decisions related to the food safety system represents a success for the food industries sector and reflects a positive impact on the manufacturer, the regulatory body, and the consumer in both the local and foreign markets, indicating that the Authority’s issuance of validity certificate mechanisms and storage capacities represents a new challenge for the sector and the beginning of an integrated system for monitoring the food chain in Egypt.
He also stressed that the Authority made a great effort in cooperation with the Chamber of Food Industries in building a mechanism based on a scientific basis, as the industry sector, chambers of commerce and international experts were consulted and worked hard to manage the first phase of implementing the mechanisms for issuing validity certificates on January 1, 2025, as was agreed with the Chairman of the Chamber of Food Industries, Eng. Ashraf El Gazayerli, to evaluate these mechanisms in the second phase by determining the solution of all obstacles and challenges that may appear upon implementation. During the meeting, representatives of the National Food Safety Authority explained all matters related to the mechanisms for issuing validity certificates, releasing under custody, transporting and storing incoming food consignments.
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Fadil went on to say that food establishments must be registered with the Authority in order to receive validity certificates. Unregistered factories can register with the Authority through its website, and after a series of evaluations that include both scheduled and unscheduled visits, a list to reconcile the situation will lead factories to successfully enter the white list and export their products. Additionally, factories in all of these stages can benefit from a gradual reduction in sample collection rates as well as easier storage and release procedures.
Additionally, he pointed out that the Authority is working to harmonize local legislation with the World Trade Organization’s standards by promoting a culture of compliance with international standards and cooperation with partners, as the Authority has a culture of continuous development, which contributes to improving the regulatory system to ensure food safety locally and internationally.
Dr. Soheir Gadallah added that the sampling mechanisms are based on the risk management system for food messages, where the type of food determines the degree of risk, stressing that the new mechanisms speed up the examination and release procedures with the possibility of reducing or raising the withdrawal rates in the event of a message that does not comply with health requirements. She explained that the export system was developed very precisely to ensure the trading of safe products through a distinctive analysis called “Marker Test,” which indicates the safety of the food product for trading in the local or foreign market, with a list and food groups and plans for analysis and withdrawal for each item within an internal electronic system for approved analyses in all branches of the authority, to ensure the shortest time for results and issuance of the validity certificate.
Dr. Ashraf Samy stressed that validity certificates are essential for exporting food products, whether they are required by international customers or part of the requirements of countries such as Morocco and Kuwait, and are documented within a set of procedures, explaining that the authority’s regulatory system covers local and imported products by classifying products according to risks and analyzing samples to ensure they comply with requirements, indicating that exporters can receive validity certificates directly from the ports to speed up procedures and facilitate export operations.
Dr. Mahmoud Meilam, Director of the Authority’s Storage Facilities Department, pointed out the cancellation of the storage capacity letter to release incoming food consignments to facilities registered with the Authority as of January 1, 2025, as well as the cancellation of fees, as it will only be sufficient to submit the port’s request and pledges via a private email, noting that other non-registrants may also apply to the Authority to obtain a storage capacity letter until the registration procedures are completed, with the aim of speeding up the release and reducing procedures.
Dr. Farah Hanna, Acting Director of the Authority’s Imports Department, explained how the mechanism of release under reservation, transportation and storage works, which is a system that replaces the issuance of a storage capacity letter with rules that reduce and speed up procedures, especially warehouses registered on the white list, by submitting a letter of transportation and a pledge to transport and store, complete with the correct signature and data of the shipment, and added that warehouses for the benefit of third parties submit a notarized lease contract and a letter of vacuum space for absorption, indicating the storage temperature according to the data of the incoming letter, stressing that there will be no delay in releasing the letters or collecting fees.
He also stated that the analysis mechanism of the risk management system gives factories and warehouses registered on the white list the advantage of reducing the sampling rates for production supplies through the two virtual inspection systems, in which the withdrawal rates do not exceed 20%, or the continuous examination of messages received in the green path.