Minsk, Belarus, December 14, 2010—IFC,
a member of the World Bank Group, is helping Belarus implement international
food safety standards to increase the competitiveness and export potential
of food producers. The resulting well-managed regulatory framework
will contribute to sustainable growth in the Belarusian economy.
As part of a countrywide training program
for sanitary inspections, IFC’s Belarus Food Safety Project on December
14 and 15, is hosting a workshop for more than 50 senior inspectors in
the Mogilev region. The workshop covers international food safety
standards and requirements, HACCP food safety system and practical aspects
of its implementation, as well as modern approaches to food safety inspections
based on risk analysis. НАССР stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Points and is a food safety management system based on analysis
and prevention of potential hazards during the entire production process.
“Our specialists on sanitary epidemiological
services now will understand more about development and implementation
of modern international food safety management systems based on risk analysis,”
said Igor Gayevsky, Chief Sanitary Inspector of the Mogilev Regional Center
of the Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Public Health. “The training facilitates
not only the growth of competitiveness and export potential of food producers,
but also their social responsibility, which in turn enables sustainable
growth of the economy.”
Belarusian legislation now provides
no incentives for companies to implement HACCP-based food safety management
systems. Food businesses perceive the current food safety supervision
practice as excessive, burdensome, and disproportionate to the risk.
“Belarus has a strong export-oriented
dairy and meat production, which makes implementation of HACCP critical
and very timely,” said Olga Sherbina, IFC Food Safety Project Manager
in Belarus. “I believe that implementing these global standards
will help place Belarus on the international export and investment map.”
IFC Belarus Food Safety Project plans
to offer additional training programs for state sanitary and veterinary
inspectors in Minsk, Mogilev, and Vitebsk.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group,
is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector
in developing countries. We create opportunity for people to escape poverty
and improve their lives. We do so by providing financing to help businesses
employ more people and supply essential services, by mobilizing capital
from others, and by delivering advisory services to ensure sustainable
development. In a time of global economic uncertainty, our new investments
climbed to a record $18 billion in fiscal 2010. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org.
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