Food Protection Trends - September/October 2023 - 426

GENERAL INTEREST PAPER
Strengthening the Mauritius Food Control System
for Enhanced Public Health and Life Protection
Badroonesha Aumjaud
Food Scientist & Former Academic of the University of Mauritius, 8, Avenue des Jacarandas, Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius
SUMMARY
Reflections on future actions that could be used to
promote effectiveness and sustainability of the national
food control system in Mauritius are presented by drawing
on professional experiences at the University of Mauritius
and participation at the International Association for Food
Protection 2023 European Symposium on Food Safety.
OVERVIEW
Strengthening national food control systems is strategic
priority 1 of the World Health Organization global strategy
for food safety (45). A food control system is defined as
" ... the integration of a mandatory regulatory approach
with preventive and educational strategies to protect the
whole food chain " (8). Figure 1 presents a visual summary
of the building blocks of a national food control system
in accordance with Food and Agriculture Organization,
World Health Organization international guidelines (8).
Food laws and regulations provide the legal framework for
implementation of food control activities to ensure food
safety, food quality, food security, and economic growth as
well as fair domestic, regional, and international trade.
2022, repealing the previous act of 1998, and the new
Mauritius Food Standards Agency Act 2022 (10, 25).
These legal texts will come into operation on a date to be
fixed by proclamation (25). The objective of the Food Act
2022 explicitly addresses " safety and nutritional quality
of food " (7), thereby steering the national food control
system toward safe and nutritious food for all. Secondary
legislation, namely the Food Regulations 1999, is currently
being revised to update the requirements in line with
international Codex standards and introduce mandatory
hazard analysis [and] critical control point (HACCP)
systems for specific food operations, namely, milk, meat,
and fish processing, as well as water bottling (26). Codex
activities in Mauritius are coordinated by the Codex
Contact Point under the aegis of the Ministry of AgroIndustry
and Food Security. Stakeholders participate in
Codex standards setting through representatives on the
National Codex Committee (27).
Food control management
Several authorities are involved in administration and
enforcement of food and related laws in Mauritius. The
Ministry of Health and Wellness has responsibility for
enforcement of the Food Act and Food Regulations (1, 30).
Previous research has reported the need for the development
of a national food control agency (36) to overcome the
gaps and overlaps of a multiple-agency system (8) as
highlighted in Figure 2. Most recently, the adoption of the
Mauritius Food Standards Agency Act 2022 demonstrates
the government's commitment to improve effectiveness
and efficiency of food control activities, thereby aiming to
achieve a high degree of consumer confidence in the safety
and nutritional quality of food (24). It provides for the
establishment of a corporate body to direct and manage an
integrated national food control system (Figure 2).
The Mauritius Food Standards Agency will play a leading
Figure 1. Building blocks of a national food control system.
Mauritius is a small island located off the coast of East
Africa with an upper-middle income economy (28).
Recent milestones in the history of the country's primary
food legislation include the adoption of the Food Act
*
Author for correspondence. Phone: +230.54907172; Email: baumjaud@gmail.com
426 Food Protection Trends September/October
role in food safety risk assessment, management, and
communication. It will be required to provide scientific
advice and technical support to the minister concerned
in matters of policy and rules that affect food safety and
nutrition (24). Policy setting involves articulation of a
food control strategy that fosters an integrated approach
to address interlinked food safety and nutrition priorities
within the prevailing and emerging ecosystem (31, 37).
Codex principles and guidelines provide practical guidance

https://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/sep-oct-23-aumjaud.pdf

Food Protection Trends - September/October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - September/October 2023