The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) undertakes development cooperation projects on behalf of the German Federal Government. BVL contributes to the goals of German development cooperation with its expertise in the fields of food safety and consumer health protection, thus including a project with Tunisia.

German-Tunisian project to strengthen food safety and consumer protection

What is involved?

In 2019 a new food safety law took effect in Tunisia that provides for the establishment of effective regulatory structures for risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. This is intended to bring the Tunisian legislative framework into line with international standards. This will make trade easier and will provide for a higher level of food safety. BVL and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) are jointly assisting Tunisia with the implementation of this legislation.

What is the goal of the project?

Tunisian foods will be made even safer: The goal is to achieve this by strengthening the national structures for food safety and consumer protection in Tunisia.

What are the project tasks?

BVL and BfR are jointly providing both policy and administrative guidance with respect to the structural changes in the relevant authorities, including directly on-site. Institutional capacity will be strengthened and developed, taking account of local conditions. As a management authority, BVL can contribute valuable information and experience here. How could an effective food control system in Tunisia work, what is needed for this and how are standardised methods introduced and established? This engagement also focuses on the strategic and sustainable competency development of skilled employees and managers through initial, in-service and advanced training.

What effects are sought?

The project promotes food safety in Tunisia by strengthening public structures and offering tailored advanced training to official personnel. The project contributes to food security. Boosting production has a positive impact on the labour market in the agricultural and food sector, particularly in rural areas.

This will indirectly open up export opportunities, while the producers of safer foods will also benefit. The products’ conformity with international standards and associated access to international markets strengthens the local economy as new markets are opened up in the region.

The goal is to indirectly strengthen the health of humans, animals and the environment through regulatory guidance and by improving the metrological fundamentals. One example of this is advice on consistent and focussed measures for investigating and avoiding foodborne disease outbreaks. Overall, the project contributes in many different ways to the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals and to the ‘One Health’ approach.

Who does BVL work with?

The “Strengthening food safety and consumer protection in Tunisia” project is undertaken jointly by BVL and BfR as institutions within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).

The political sponsor on the Tunisian side is the Ministry of Health, to which the project’s primary beneficiary institutions report: the national risk assessment agency ANCSEP (henceforth ANER) as well as the national food safety authority INSSPA, BfR and BVL’s counterpart authorities.

As sponsor, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) finances the project by contributing a sum of € 5,000,000 from funds from the special “ONEWORLD - no Hunger” initiative. The project is set to run for a period of five years from January 2021 to December 2025 (BMZ project number: 2020.0117.0).

Contact: international@bvl.bund.de