Food safety is currently recognized as a global concern. Food safety
control in all countries requires close collaboration and cooperation among
all stakeholders along every step in the food chain – production, processing,
storage and distribution. Effective national food control systems are not only
essential to protect the health and safety of domestic consumers, but they are
also critical in enabling countries to assure the safety and quality of their
food entering the international trade system, as well as to ensure that the
standards for imported foods conform to national requirements (Guidelines
for Strengthening National Food Control Systems: Assuring Food Safety and
Quality, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
and World Health Organization (WHO), Rome, 2003).