Gambian parliament adopts food safety law

Deputies at the Gambian National Assembly (parliament) on Friday passed a new bill entitled the "Food Safety and Quality Bill 2011". Under the new act, food operators are obliged to ensure food safety, quality production, processing and distribution within the business under their control and that their products must satisfy the requirements and regulations as demanded. Submitting the motion before deputies, Vice President and Minister for Women Affairs Isatou Njie-Saidy warned that the well- being of "our citizenry is at stake." "Giving our continuous drive to place health care on top of our development agenda, we call on all and sundry to join the bandwagon in the implementation of this bill," she said. She told deputies that the bill and the establishment of the Gambia Food Safety and Quality Authority is consistent with the regulation worked out by the West African bloc ECOWAS on the health and safety of plants, animals and food in the region. The Gambia Food Safety and Quality Authority being established by this bill will be the sole national competent authority having unitary responsibility for food safety and quality, she declared. "In order to achieve the general objectives of a high level of protection of human health and life, measures applied under this Act shall be based on risk assessment," she added.