Strengthening national food control systems. Guidelines to access capacity building needs

FAO has developed these Guidelines, in collaboration with WHO, to assist countries to identify their capacity building needs in the core components of a national food control system. The guidelines include five modules to assess the needs in: i) food control management, ii) food legislation, iii) food inspection, iv) official food control laboratories, and v) food safety and quality information, education and communication. Each module sets out a step-by-step process to examine critically existing capacity and performance, consider the desired future improved situation, pinpoint capacity building needs and identify options to address them. Internationally accepted benchmarks for an effective national food control system are incorporated, as well as practical tools and suggestions to support the needs assessment process.