PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

U.S. Department of Agriculture Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses (TAIB) in Egypt

Expanding domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products.
2018 – 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project aligns food safety and quality regulations, improves inspection and rapid response planning, and raises consumer and industry awareness to expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products. TAIB is working in close collaboration with the Egypt’s National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) and other key stakeholders to ensure a successful transition to a modern food safety system. The project provides technical support to NFSA to regulate food across Egypt and promote greater U.S. export and investment opportunities. Through its efforts, the project is harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations with international standards, supporting the implementation of robust inspection systems, strengthening NFSA’s workforce, promoting the usage of science-based risk assessments in accordance with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, and facilitating trade.

— Achievements to Date —

Technical regulations advanced

1100+

NFSA food inspectors trained

292M+

Dollar increase in exports in 2019

PROJECT FOCUS AREAS

1. Enhancing Organizational Capacity

TAIB is working with NFSA and other key stakeholders to develop a framework to streamline extensive food inspection program and procedures.

2. Developing Workforce Training

Modeled after comprehensive U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) training, TAIB is promoting the usage of science-based risk assessment models to strengthen inspection systems.

3. Promoting Improved Policy and Regulatory Frameworks

Through coordination with ministries and private sector partners, TAIB is facilitating nationwide awareness campaign to increase compliance with internationally recognized standards.

COUNTRY CONTEXT

Egypt

Inadequate food safety conditions can have a negative impact on both health and trade outcomes. Historically, oversight of food laws and regulations in Egypt has been spread across 17 agencies and seven ministries, resulting in inefficiencies and inconsistent in food safety enforcement. Since 2017, NFSA has the sole mandate to control and regulate food in Egypt enabling the country to modernize its food safety system and increase agricultural trade.

A Model for Regional Food Standards

The TAIB project is supporting Egypt to become a regional model for Africa and the Middle East for food standard setting and food safety inspection effectiveness and efficiency leading to increased domestic, regional, and international trade.