Evaluating National Food Control System of Nepal: Part 2

Please read the information about FAO evaluation tool and part 1 of the series before reading this second post.

In this post we will try to use the FAO tool to evaluate the National Food Control System of Nepal. The evaluation will be done in four dimensions:

Dimension A: Are system resources and inputs adequate?

Dimension B: How do the controls function?

Dimension C: How does the system interact with stakeholders?
Dimension D: Is the system evidence based ? Does it support continuous improvements?

In this part, we will only evaluate the second dimension B: “How do the controls function?”

 (Source: FAO/WHO 2019)

Here, we will try to evaluate the processes and the outputs of the national food control system. It includes control functions to ensure food safety along the food chain, managing food safety hazards, emerging risks, food emergencies, monitoring and surveillance functions etc.

We are going to use the same qualitative scoring scale during evaluation:

1 = Absent

2 = Insufficient

3 = Basic requirements exist

4 = All requirements exist

5 = Exceeds the requirement

(Please note that CA has been used frequently as a short form for “Competent Authority”)

S.N.	Criteria	Score
B	CONTROL FUNCTIONS
B.1	ROUTINE CONTROL ACTIVITIES OVER FOOD PRODUCTS
B.1.1	Domestic controls: Routine controls performed at the level of FBOs are planned, managed and implemented in a way that ensures safety and quality of the products placed on the market
B.1.1.1	All principal FBOs are registered for inspection and official control purposes.	2
B.1.1.2	All FBOs, including primary production establishments, are registered for inspection and official control purposes	1
B.1.1.3	Where applicable/appropriate, CAs have verified the food safety management systems implemented by FBOs prior to official endorsement of food operations	3
B.1.1.4	Periodic inspection plans developed by CAs are based on an articulated rationale and are implemented	2
B.1.1.5	Inspection plans are based on a well-documented risk categorization framework	1
B.1.1.6	There are documented procedures for performing inspections of the same food category	2
B.1.1.7	As part of their approach to inspecting FBOs, the CAs regularly implement verifications and audits of food safety management systems	1
B.1.1.8	The national inspection plan includes routine inspection at all registered farms	1
B.1.1.9	Official controls implemented by various CAs at all levels of the food chain are organized to be continuous, joined-up, comprehensive and strategically complementary	2
B.1.1.10	Clear documentation of official food standards and requirements are available to all official staff who implement compliance and enforcement work	2
B.1.1.11	Clear documentation containing enforcement sanctions and procedures (including reference to legal instruments) is available to official control staff	2
B.1.1.12	When an FBO is found to be non-compliant with legislation, the CA officially notifies the FBO of the need to implement corrective actions	2
B.1.1.13	CAs follow up with FBOs that are found to be non-compliant to check on the implementation of corrective actions	3
B.1.1.14	Authoritative and clear guidance on sampling techniques is available to inspectors and samples taken during inspections are appropriate	2
B.1.1.15	CAs have appropriate controls in place to ensure that FBOs have effective traceability systems	1
B.1.1.16	Mechanisms for withdrawal and recall of contaminated products are in place in collaboration with the food industry	2
B.1.1.17	Where appropriate, there are official controls in place for informal street-food vending to reduce food safety risks for consumers	1
B.1.2	Import controls: Controls over imported food products are planned and implemented in a manner that ensures food safety and quality, in coherence with domestic controls (Ref. CAC/GL 47-2003 and Risk-based imported food control manual, FAO 2016)
B.1.2.1	Importers are identified through a registration system and importer compliance profiles are established over time.	3
B.1.2.2	Good importing practices have been developed and published and are used as the basis for import controls	2
B.1.2.3	CAs design a coherent risk-based import control programme based on relevant information and responsive to evolving situations	1
B.1.2.4	The risk-based import control programme is operated as planned, taking into account available resources	1
B.1.2.5	Detailed procedures are in place for border controls, are available to all staff of BIPs and are implemented	2
B.1.2.6	A system allowing notification (and/or pre-notification) for imported food consignments is in place and is supported by clear documentation requirements to be submitted by importers	2
B.1.2.7	A system for the import of products requiring particular attention is in place, supported by clear documentation requirements	2
B.1.2.8	Sufficient inspection facilities are available to inspection staff, of appropriate design, layout and capacity, in the relevant sites	2
B.1.2.9	The collaborations that occur between CAs and other institutions at the BIPs are effective and border controls are linked to domestic food control	2
B.1.3	Export controls: The export control system enables meeting the requirements of export foreign markets
B.1.3.1	A coordinating mechanism is set up for cases where more than one CA has authority to control and provide certification to FBOs wishing to export, and where other stakeholders are involved	1
B.1.3.2	CAs have the capacity to support the requirements of importing countries	2
B.1.3.3	A specific authorization or licensing scheme is in place for specific FBOs targeting exports	1
B.1.3.4	Certificates respond to required design features as indicated by importing countries and are issued by officers authorized by the CAs (qualified and fully trained)	1
B.1.3.5	CAs have a system in place to identify and prevent fraudulent certificates and provide clear guidance in case of specific situations related to certification	1
B.2	MONITORING, SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
B.2.1	Monitoring programmes in relation to the food chain: The national monitoring programme informs CAs on the situation for specific food safety or quality issues, supports trends analysis and risk assessment and contributes to improve targeting of interventions with a risk-based approach.
B.2.1.1	A monitoring plan is in place to detect and/or monitor issues related to food safety or quality in the food chain	2
B.2.1.2	The risk ranking processes drive the development of the national food safety and quality monitoring programme	1
B.2.1.3	All relevant CAs have collaborated to facilitate the planning, ongoing implementation, operation and analysis of the national monitoring programme	2
B.2.1.4	The national monitoring programme is informed by an FBO risk categorization framework	1
B.2.1.5	The national monitoring programme takes into consideration available human, financial and analytical resources	2
B.2.1.6	The outputs of the national monitoring programme are used to review/inform food control policies and strategies and to propose suitable interventions/measures	1
B.2.1.7	A mechanism to rapidly inform the other CAs responsible for FBD surveillance and response is in place when a monitoring plan detects a potential risk to human health in the food chain	1
B.2.2	Food-borne disease surveillance: The national surveillance system ensures an effective detection of FBD and contributes to the management of food safety events, including outbreaks and emergencies.
B.2.2.1	There is a fully functional Indicator-Based Surveillance (IBS) system in place that can successfully monitor trends and detect FBD outbreaks.	1
B.2.2.2	There is a fully functional Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) system in place that is capable of detecting food-borne events	1
B.2.2.3	There is an IBS system that includes laboratory analysis to assign aetiology for suspected FBDs (particularly diarrhoeal disease), investigate hazards in foods linked to cases and outbreaks, understand trends in FBD and increase the sensitivity and specificity of outbreak detection.	2
B.2.2.4	Capacity to undertake rapid risk assessments of acute public health events exists at the national and subnational levels.	1
B.2.2.5	Capacity for multidisciplinary and inter-sectoral subnational outbreak response exists and analytical epidemiology is being applied during outbreak investigations.	2
B.2.2.6	Multi-sectoral collaboration facilitates rapid information exchange and support with laboratory testing during FBD outbreak investigation.	1
B.2.3	Management of food safety emergencies: A coordinated management system scans, identifies and responds to food safety emergencies and communicates effectively with all stakeholders (national, international).
B.2.3.1	A suitable national food safety emergency plan has been developed in a participatory way and food safety emergencies have been defined to serve as a trigger for escalating appropriate response.	1
B.2.3.2	Mechanisms to gather and analyse information are in place to allow incident identification.	2
B.2.3.3	A functional central coordination mechanism includes all relevant CAs to address food safety emergencies	2
B.2.3.4	Functional arrangements are in place for communication and implementation of response in the event of a food safety emergency	2
B.2.3.5	Strategies and guidance for communicating with partners, stakeholders, general public and international organizations are in place	2
B.2.3.6	Food safety emergency response plans are pre-tested and reviewed after an emergency has occurred	1
B.2.3.7	When appropriate, the risk analysis framework is used to structure the response to food safety emergencies	1
	Total score	82
	Average score	1.6

The average score implies that:

“The control functions of the existing National Food Control System of Nepal are insufficient."

Read other parts

1. National Food Control System of Nepal: Part 1
2. National Food Control System of Nepal: Part 2
3. National Food Control System of Nepal: Part 3
4. National Food Control System of Nepal: Part 4

5. National Food Control System of Nepal: Final Part

Note: this is author’s personal opinion and you are free to agree or disagree with this evaluation. If there are mistakes or suggestions, please feel free to make positive comments and feedback.

References:

FAO and WHO. 2019. Food control system assessment tool: Introduction and glossary. Food safety and quality series No. 7/1. Rome.

FAO and WHO. 2019. Food control system assessment tool: Dimension A – Inputs and resources. Food safety and quality series No. 7/2. Rome.

FAO and WHO. 2019. Food control system assessment tool: Dimension B – Control Functions. Food safety and quality series No. 7/3. Rome.