Responsibility for food control

In Ethiopia, national food control is shared between different agencies and ministries including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, and the Quality and Standards Authority. Their roles and responsibilities are quite different and there may possibly be duplication of regulatory activity, fragmented surveillance and lack of coordination.

There is also considerable variation in expertise and resource between the different agencies, and a conflict between the need to protect public health and obligations to facilitate trade or develop an industry or business sector. You need to be aware of these potential difficulties with the food control system.