AQTA and FAO discussed the 2027–2032 food safety program

On November 5, the Chairman of AQTA, Qoshqar Tahmazli, met with Nabil Gangi, Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and Muhammad Nasar Hayat, FAO Representative in Azerbaijan. According to the Agency, the parties reviewed the results of existing cooperation and joint projects.

The main topic of discussion was the opportunities for joint activities with FAO within the framework of the "State Program on Ensuring Food Safety in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2027–2032." In this context, the digitalization of food safety control, animal identification, development of the traceability system, strengthening of laboratory capacity, and the creation of control infrastructure at border crossing points were noted.

The meeting also discussed the expansion of HACCP system implementation, the expansion of the food consumption database at the national scale, the application of artificial intelligence and big data technologies in food safety, and the exchange of experience in the field of risk analysis. Additionally, the issues of supporting Azerbaijan's role as the next coordinator of the Codex Coordinating Committee for the European region and FAO's expert and institutional support for the EPPO events to be held in Baku in 2027 were brought to attention.

The practical side for restaurant and cafe owners is HACCP: if the implementation of the system expands, in the coming years establishments may be required to take food safety documentation more seriously. Traceability and digital control, in turn, bring to the agenda the more careful retention of origin documents in the supply chain.