A meeting was held to evaluate the national food safety control system.

During the meeting, expected results and appropriate tools of FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) were discussed for assessing the food control system in Azerbaijan.

Balarahim Guliyev, Deputy Chairman of the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (FAS), Bariz Mehdiyev, Deputy Representative of the Partnership and Coordination Office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Azerbaijan, and Javad Gasimov, Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee, delivered an opening speech on food control within the project held discussions on the direction of increasing national capabilities.

The national food control system plays an essential role in protecting consumers' health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade. At the meeting held with the participation of representatives of the AQTA, the Ministries of Agriculture and Health, the State Customs Committee, the State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance and other interested parties, the methods of applying the concept of the "Food safety control system assessment tool" developed jointly by FAO and WHO were discussed. It was stated that the mentioned concept aims to help countries determine and improve food control systems' effectiveness at the national level. Applying this concept in Azerbaijan will allow the selection of priority directions for developing food safety control.

The meeting also stated the need to provide public information on food safety and hygiene within the framework of the project, increase the capacity to apply sanitary and phytosanitary standards, and conduct training for state inspectors on food control management. After the extensive presentation on the subject by the FAO experts who joined the seminar, opinions were exchanged on methodology and international experience in the field of food safety control, specific goals for Azerbaijan in the implementation of the assessment process, expected results and implementation obligations of the parties were discussed.

As a continuation of the event, 4-day training is planned to be held on 18-21 October. Representatives of partner institutions will participate in the activity. The training sessions will discuss an overview of the evaluation process, country profile, evidence collection, verification, analysis, and presentation of results.