Azernews.Az

The Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AFSA), Aziz Sharifov, and the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Institute, Elkhan Ahmadov, have taken part in a high-level international panel held in Istanbul themed Preventing Food and Water Waste – Protecting the Future", Azernews reports.

Within the framework of the event, AFSA Deputy Chairman Aziz Sharifov also held a meeting with Ahmet Bağcı, Turkish Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry.

The meeting included discussions on the zero waste concept, during which the Turkish side was briefed on the measures implemented by the Agency, as well as its ongoing initiatives and plans in this field. It was emphasized that increasing responsibility in preventing food waste, developing a sustainable food system, and ensuring efficient resource management are of strategic importance.

The meeting also covered the current state of trade relations between the two countries, import–export dynamics, and future prospects. In addition, opinions were exchanged regarding the mutual recognition of equivalence and approval systems to simplify the export of high-risk products. Both sides expressed interest in expanding cooperation in this direction.

The importance of continuing mutual cooperation even more intensively was highlighted.

As part of the visit, a meeting was also held with Samed Ağırbaş, Head of the Zero Waste Foundation. During the meeting, information was provided on the Foundation's areas of activity and its initiatives aimed at reducing food waste. The possibility of implementing joint projects between AFSA and the Foundation in the future was discussed.