Food Safety Standards Lacking in Georgia

Asia-Europe Cooperation Fund carried out a research in the product safety in Georgia under the framework of the European neighborhood policy. The presentation of the implemented work was organized today at the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi.

Vano Chkhikvadze, the Coordinator of the International Programs of the Foundation, stated that the research was funded by the International Development Department f the Great Britain and US Agency for International Development. Similar research was carried out in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The research started in November of 2007 in Georgia and lasted till February of 2008. The goal was to reveal how effective the system for estimation the safety of food products is in the country. How impartial and severe the government is while controlling the safety of food products? Whether the current legislation complies with the demands of the European Neighborhood Policy or not?

The research demonstrated what kind of standards should be followed by Georgian producers in order for products to be sold in European Market.

It also revealed that there is no agency in country that will control the standards of the food safety. The state, according to current legislation, will have its right restricted in monitoring the production process. Consequently, the main recommendations the resulted is to eliminate the control system that exists in Georgia.

Lack of effective system to assess product safety and control system is caused by poor social and economical conditions that the majority of the population faces, as well as inefficient, weak and undeveloped food processing, high risk of corruption while monitoring the production and food safety oversight process, poor legislative base for product safety, and a general lack of information in this sphere

Experts from Asia-Europe Foundation recommended resolving all above-mentioned problems in order to establish effective system for control food quality and safety.

Source: Medianews