Food Safety

The EU-integrated approach to food security that Albania intends to follow aims to ensure a high level of food security through coherent measures and appropriate monitoring from farm to table, ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market and the export of food products. Albanian in the European and wider market.

The strategic objective of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration (MBZHRAU) is to guarantee the highest level of health of Albanian citizens and to perfect the system of supervision and guarantee of food safety. This system will serve for the best protection of consumers’ health from diseases/damages as a result of consumption of food products of plant or animal origin. On the other hand, it will also guarantee a fair competition in the market of food business operators.

The vision, priorities and strategic goals aim to strengthen a fully functioning system of food safety and consumer protection, from farm to table, covering the entire country as well as modern monitoring and control in accordance with EU standards. The importance of establishing food and nutrition policy as a key goal of development policy is a strategic objective and reflects global and local trends. Every single link in the chain must be very strong if the consumer’s health is to be fully protected. This principle is valid regardless of whether the food is produced in Albania or imported from other countries. For this reason, the Albanian Government will focus on strengthening the control and monitoring of food sold in the Albanian market intended for human consumption as well as food used for animals.

The Albanian government considers policies for food safety and consumer protection as an important priority. These policies are under the responsibility of MBZHRAU, which is responsible for creating the legal framework and coordinating the harmonization of legislation with the legal framework of the EU, as well as the strategy for the implementation of these policies and legislation in this field. The Directorate of Food Safety and Consumer Protection Policies (DPSUMK), created in 2005 and reorganized in 2010, is responsible for the design of food safety policies and strategies as well as the preparation of sectoral legislation as well.

Currently, the Competent Authorities involved in the management of food safety policies in Albania and the implementation of legislation in this field are:

•    MBZHRAU and the institutions under its dependence, mainly:
– National Authority of food
– Institute of Food and Veterinary Safety
– Regional Directorate of Agriculture
• Healthy ministry
• Local government
In the field of food safety, DPSUMK operates in MBZHRAU, which has a staff of 11 employees (including the Director) and is organized in three sectors:
• Sector of Quality, Food Safety and Consumer Protection;
•    Plant Protection Sector;
•    Aquatic products sector.

Quality, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Sector (SCSUMK)

SCSUMK is composed of 4 employees with different professions of chemist, veterinarian, agronomist and merceologist with experience and training in the field of legislation, risk analysis and risk management. This sector has worked in implementation of the strategic goal and objective as well as the vision that the Albanian Government has in terms of food security by clearly defining the priorities and short-term and long-term objectives as well as the ways to achieve them.

SCSUMK has worked mainly in the following directions which are part of the functional tasks of this sector:

1. Participation in the drafting of policies in the field of food security in accordance with the National Plan for the Implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, the national strategy for food and nutrition, the sectoral strategy for agriculture and food and the “from farm to table” principle.

2. In the drafting of three important draft strategies in the field of food safety and consumer protection:

a. Intersectoral Strategy for Rural and Agricultural Development (SKNZHRB) 2014 – 2020.
b. Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance Strategy 2014-2020.
c. Draft strategy for food security prepared in cooperation with the CARDS Project for strengthening the food security system.

3. Drafting of the program of approximation of legislation in the field of food security for the short-term, medium-term and long-term period and the follow-up of its implementation within the framework of PKZMSA. Preparation of the realization report according to the engagement periods.

4. EU measure expert for the selection and introduction of sectoral legislation into the system.

5. In the preparation of legislation and its harmonization with that of the EU.
Currently, in the field of food safety, there are over 100 legal and by-laws that regulate various aspects of this field and its relations with other fields, of which 65 have been prepared and approved in the last four years and 7 others are in the process preparation and planned to be approved within 2013.

6. In the field of licensing of food business operators, work has been done to implement the legislation in this field and the procedure has been followed for about 1230 OBUs, of which 230 are subjects rejected in the first pre-preliminary inspection and have reapplied.

7. In the preparation of FVO missions

8. TLO (TAIEX Liaison Officer)
In SCSUMK there is TLO. 20 workshops, expert missions and study visits were carried out. Also, it organizes all these events in cooperation with TAIEX. For the year 2013, the annual training plan for the year 2014 has been drawn up. It includes 7 fields and 20 activities are planned.

9. Enjuiry point for SPS notifications in the WTO
By Decision of the Council of Ministers in July 2009, the Food Safety Sector is an injury point for SPS notifications in the WTO. He works according to the procedure approved by the Minister in July 2012 and 45 acts have been notified to the WTO as well as comments have been received and answers have been returned for concrete cases.

10. Review of trade policies
Pursuant to Prime Minister’s Order No. 102 dated 06.08.2009 “On the establishment of the inter-institutional working group for the evaluation of trade policies in the Republic of Albania from the moment of the accession of the Republic of Albania to the World Trade Organization” has been and continues to be part of the trade policy review working group preparing our part of the report and discussing it with WTO representatives.

Water products sector

The aquatic products sector was established in 2010 and has a staff of 3 employees. He drafts policies and prepares legislation in the field of safety of aquatic products. This sector has prepared about 40 by-laws that regulate different aspects of this field in accordance with EU legislation. The aquatic products sector has been subjected to several missions of the Veterinary and Food Office (FVO) and has compiled questionnaires before and after the mission. He is responsible for the classification of production water for MBGJ according to microbiological criteria. The water products sector has powers for:

• The approval of establishments for processing fishery products or the removal of this approval;
• Classification of bivalve mollusk production areas;
• Monitoring of the sampling plan in the classified areas of bivalve mollusc production;
• Closure or reopening of classified bivalve mollusc production areas.

The National Food Authority is a public institution that reports to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection, is responsible for controlling the implementation of legislation related to food safety and consumer protection. AKU consists of three directorates at the central level and 12 regional directorates. 13 Border Inspection Points under the Regional Directorates of AKU are responsible for the control of plants and plant products, live things, animal by-products and food of animal and non-animal origin, at the borders.

AKU manages 11 regional laboratories that perform safety and quality analyzes of food products.

The Institute of Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine based on law no. 9863 dated 28.01.2008 “For Food” is a reference for the analyzes carried out for the purpose of official food safety controls.

The Regional Directorate of Agriculture, through the veterinary service, controls the primary product of animal origin on the farm.

The local government includes, as part of their staff, Veterinary Inspectors of the Municipality and Municipalities who are authorized to exercise their powers in the field in accordance with Article 54 of the Law on the Veterinary Service.

The Ministry of Health has responsibility for public health, nutrition and control of water and specific food products (nutritional purposes).