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Mauritania

General Information

• WHO Africa - Country Profile: http://afro.who.int/des/fos/country_profiles/mauritania.pdf
• Mechanism for collection and dissemination of information about food export system is not available. The m ain food safety and quality problems encountered with the country’s imports are quality control. The food laws include Code d’Hygiene which is implemented at Central level by the Wali (Gouverneur); at the Provincial level by the Hakem (Préfet) and at the Local Level by the Hakem-adjoint (chef d’arrondissement). Constraints to implementation of these laws are l ack of law/legislation; absence of qualified personnel; no decentalisation. However, the National food standards do not differ from Codex Standards.

  See also International Portal on Food Safety, Animal & Plant Health

Key Legal Documents

Links to Organisations involved in Food Law

Information (listed by date)

2005

• Document: Report of the Sixteenth Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa.
• Source: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Twenty-Eighth Session, Italy , 4 – 9 July 2005.
• Extract: Food control in Mauritania is in a gestational stage due to lack of national institutional framework. It is SGS Company which deals with agro-food products. There had been an important progress in terms of quality control of fish products, with the assistance of EEC to processing establishments. After the Second Global Forum Food Safety Regulators, and based on the findings of national participants, the government identified the key agency National Research Institute of, formerly National Health Centre. The mandate of this institute is in food control. The decree creating this institute fills the judicial gap and shows the government’s determination in matters related to the safety of locally consumed foods as well as those destined for export. In the future Mauritania looks forward to achieving positive changes in this field, in collaboration with FAO, WHO and other countries with experience in this matter. Mauritania expressed the need to consume local products and those imported. In years to come, Mauritania hopes to effect the necessary changes in collaboration with FAO and WHO and countries like Morocco – which has experience in the area. In Mauritania, food safety awareness is high among all consumers, following the information diffused by radio and television, and newspapers regarding dioxin in chicken. This message left consumers in an embarrassing state which led to the creation of an association named “Consume local” in order to avoid all sanitary risks linked with the consumption of imported chicken. This solution does not meet local population needs and should be reviewed.
• Link: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/632/al28_28e.pdf

2002

• Document: Improving Efficiency and Transparency in Food Safety Systems, Sharing Experiences.
• Source: FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators, Marrakesh, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002.
• Extract: The paper describes national institutions involved in food inspection in Mauritania. As Mauritania is an important meat producing and consuming country in the sub-region, priority was given very early to pre-mortem inspection and post-mortem inspection. Having a large coast on the Atlantic, production of fish and fish products is important and directed to export markets. Inspection is carried out soley on fish intended for export. A national centre for hygiene is responsible for inspections of all foodstuffs intended for sale in Mauritania of animal and vegetable origin. Another body is in charge of the control of cereals and cereal products at entry points determined by law. The paper stresses that despite a significant lack of means, Mauritania is on the way to fostering food safety as a means to reducing food insecurity.
• Link: http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/004/Y3680E/Y3680E09.htm

Information last updated - 14 July 2006