INTRODUCTION Mrs Boodhram-Bedacee Chreshma Senior Technical Officer Food Technology Laboratory Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security Mauritius

INTRODUCTION

Mauritius is a small island situated between the south-eastern coast of Africa Mauritius is a net importer of food, importing mainly from France, South Africa, Australia and India. Some food industries do export. The Mauritian consumer has become more quality-conscious with the increase in the standard of living that has occurred over the last 2 decades.

Mauritius Population: 1.3 million (UN, 2013) Capital and largest city: Port Louis Area: 2,040 sq km (788 sq miles) Major languages: English, French (both official), Creole, Indian languages Major religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Islam Monetary unit: Mauritian rupee (1$=Rs30) Situated the between the south-eastern coast of Africa and India, is the small island of Mauritius. Mauritius is a net importer of food (Figure 1), importing mainly from France, South Africa, Australia and India. However, some food industries do export. The Mauritian consumer has become more quality-conscious with the increase in the standard of living that has occurred over the last 2 decades.

Mission and Vision of the Ministry of Agro Industry & Food Security Towards further development of agriculture and the promotion of agro industry focusing on safety, supply, quality, innovation and new technology through our service providing institutions and with stakeholders of the region.

VISION To be a driver, catalyst and facilitator for operators in agriculture, fisheries and agro business. To spearhead the development of small and medium sized commercial and professional agro business sector.

Food Technology Laboratory(FTL) VISION OF THE FOOD TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY Striving towards safe and quality foods through excellence in analysis

Main activities of FTL Microbiological and Chemical analysis of foods (pesticide residues, heavy metals, toxins), animal feeds and water for our export and import requirements.

Main activities of FTL Provision of technical assistance to all stakeholders regarding food quality and safety.

Main activities of FTL To ensure the safety and quality of both locally produced, exported and imported food products. To develop new analytical techniques

Other activities at the FTL Microbiological analysis for Sea Food Hub & Fish Processing Plant Monitoring of processing plants (HACCP) Monitoring of pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables

Laws and Regulations Food Act 1998 Public Health Act Trades and Industries Classification Act Health and Safety Act National food safety management certification scheme by Mauritius Standards Bureau nevertheless, in Mauritius, food regulations consist of 31 parts, 428 provisions, many of which are vertical regulations. Such a large number of regulations accompanied by many mandatory limits and standards will require many resources to be enforced, that is, the economics as well as the enforcement practicalities have not been considered.

Mauritius Food Act 1998 It stipulates that “any person who imports, prepares, supplies, distributes, or sells any food which is poisonous, harmful or injurious to health shall commit an offense.”

Monitoring and Surveillance Food control is centrally administered and enforced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) Local authorities participate in enforcement activities to a limited extent only. The Government Analyst Division and the Central Laboratory deal with food analysis. The Ministry of Agro Industry also carry out analysis for aflatoxins

Monitoring and Surveillance The Mauritius Standards Bureau sets specifications that should be satisfied by a particular food. Two consumer organisations are known locally: • Institute for Consumers’ Protection • Association des Consommateurs de l’Ile Maurice The local university (UOM) does carry out research in the field of food control, but much of its work is not publicised.

Monitoring and Surveillance SURVEILLANCE A rather poor food-borne disease surveillance system exists. This may probably arise from the fact that there are no proper structures for reporting and recording diseases though it is mandatory to do so. Moreover, local authorities do not have the necessary infrastructure to ensure disease recording and private practitioners rarely report diseases to sanitary authority. There is also limited involvement of consumers and a lack of co-ordination between the two consumer organisations, leading to a waste in resources.

CONSTRAINTS The small number of inspectors specialised in food control The lack of resources, that is funding, equipment for inspection and transport, The inadequate level of training of inspectors on certain aspects of food control such as novel foods,HACCP

Suggestions for strengthening the Aflatoxin regulatory framework Adoption of a national food control strategy Amendment of the food law Cooperation and coordination among different bodies in the system Transparency and information flow on the food control system Intelligent participation in regional trade agreements

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