Prevention and Control of Foodborne Diseases in Middle-East North African Countries: Review of National Control Systems

Abstract

Foodborne diseases continue to be a global public health problem with an estimated 600 million people falling ill annually. In return, international standards are becoming stricter which poses challenges to food trade. In light of the increasing burden of foodborne diseases, many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have upgraded their food laws and undertaken changes to the organizational structure of their regulatory institutions to maintain or expand international export activities, tighten control on local and imported products, and protect consumers’ health. However, until this date, the published information on the regional health burdens of foodborne diseases is very limited and it is not clear whether the recent changes will serve towards science-based and effective preventive functions and the adoption of the risk management approach. In this review, we summarize the recent food safety issues and the national food control systems of selected countries in the region although we were challenged with the scarcity of information. To this end, we examined the national food safety systems in the context of the five essential elements of the FAO/WHO Guidelines for Strengthening National Food Control Systems. These five elements—food law and regulations; food control management; inspection services; laboratory services; food monitoring; and epidemiological data, information, education, communication, and training—constitute the building blocks of a national food control system, but could also serve as tools to assess the effectiveness of the systems.

Food-Borne Disease Prevention and Risk Assessment

“…The last of the five papers in this Issue, Prevention and Control of Food-borne Diseases in Middle-East North African Countries: Review of National Control Systems is by Faour-Klingbeil and Todd [30] who discuss how a region, in this case Middle-East North African (MENA) countries, tackles prevention and control of food-borne diseases, where for the most part there are limited industry and governmental scientific and economic resources. Most of this region is arid with limited rainfall that impacts agriculture and much of the food has to be imported.…”

“…These issues are not unique to Lebanon where weak governments combined with powerful external lobbyists can delay or minimize effective prevention and control measures for food safety. Another example is in Palestine, where the current food safety legislations are not harmonized with international standards [30].…”

“…Since Whole Genomic Sequencing (WGS) has largely taken over from PFGE testing in Western nations, it remains to be seen if MENA countries can utilize molecular surveillance more effectively for improving food safety for the public. Even if a country has the capability to use WGS, it may not be effective unless linked to an overall surveillance and management structure such as a National Food Control System [30]. Aggressive closure of food facilities by inspectors, sometimes in collaboration with the local police force, can occur after publicly-reported food poisonings, or violations identified during an inspection, such as 'eating spoiled foods' to be used as deterrents for perceived compliance failures.…”

Cryptosporidium and Cryptosporidiosis: The Perspective from the Gulf Countries

“…Therefore, great emphasis is placed on food safety and security for all imported foods into the GCC countries, including legislation and guidelines to safeguard the quality of the imported food [37,165]. However, their traditional food safety systems have not properly developed to identify potential problems (e.g., infectious disease and parasites) in the food supply before they occur, but rather they are organized to respond to foodborne outbreaks [166].…”

“…Gastrointestinal infections that are frequently seen in the Gulf region are primarily caused by Salmonella spp., followed by Shigella spp. and other pathogens like hepatitis A virus and parasites [166,168]. Consumption of unpasteurized dairy products and commercial meat products have been implicated in foodborne diseases in Kuwait, Oman, and SA [165,169].…”