Food Safety Agency to support entrepreneurs
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade
Azerbaijan’s Food Safety Agency helps ensure the regulatory framework of food safety and carry out risk analysis, hygiene certification, as well as provide a quality certificate for food products exported to foreign countries, ensure state control over the protection of the rights of consumers of food products.
Goshgar Tahmazli, chairman of the Food Safety Agency, has told reporters that foodstuffs have standards of storage, transportation and sales regime, sanitary and hygienic and sanitary standards and all enterprises for the production of foodstuff must comply with these standards and rules.
In the next seven years, business structures should be supported in educational work so that they can create a food safety system in the country in accordance with international standards, he said.
“Agrochemical preparations used in crop production, the use of plant protection products, feed and feed additives used in poultry and livestock farms, and veterinary drugs are very important because the use of feed and feed additives affects the safety of the product. Therefore, Agency is ready to provide the necessary support to entrepreneurs,” Tahmazli said.
Speaking of the food safety in Azerbaijan, it is important to note that 21 laboratories were created in the country to conduct analysis in the field of food safety. All of them were established within the framework of the "State program for ensuring food safety in Azerbaijan for 2019-2025”. The decree approving the program was signed by President Ilham Aliyev on April 29.
The State Program is designed to provide the country’s population with safe and qualitative food products, increase the transparency and efficiency of the food safety system and bring it in line with international requirements.
Moreover, it is noteworthy that on May 1, Azerbaijan’s Food Safety Agency started online registration of business entities working in the nutrition sector. The registration does not require visiting the Agency’s departments; it is only necessary to log in the official website to register.
In the future, the Agency will ensure introduction of innovative solutions for rapid development of cooperation with entrepreneurs. There are also plans to automate import and export processes and conduct online information exchange in real time with the State Customs Committee. This will minimize contacts between citizens and officials, thus preventing waste of time of the entrepreneurs and further simplifying export and import processes.
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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1
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