2005
Based on the understanding that successful food safety strategy requires the integration and co-ordination of food controls, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) was established under the JFDA Act, 2003, which came into effect on 16 April 2003. The basic legislation that regulates food control in Jordan is the Food Law no.79/2001. According to the Food Law, JFDA is the responsible official agency entrusted to regulate and supervise food control activities in Jordan .
Food Inspection System
Control of imported food in Jordan is carried out at the border inspection posts (BIPs) under direct control from the JFDA, while inland food inspection is carried out according to the JFDA standards and procedures by Health Administrations. Large municipalities (especially Greater Amman Municipality) also exercise food inspection activities within their jurisdiction. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) is responsible for the safety of fresh produce. The Jordanian Institution for Standards and Metrology (JISM) is the designated standards setting body in Jordan and establishes standards of quality and safety for food products. The JFDA carry out directly imported food control activities in Aqaba port, in close cooperation and coordination with MOA, JISM and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA). The ASEZA has full mandate on domestic market post audit and inspection in Aqaba based on a risk management model launched mid 2004.
Imported food control
Monitoring of imported food for compliance with food regulations is based on a risk-based system. The system places emphasis on those products determined to be high-risk food products in terms of human health. Based on this classification, levels of inspection and sampling operations for laboratory analysis have been identified.
Laboratory Support Services
The JFDA has three official food laboratories. The Municipality of Amman has also a well-equipped food laboratory for the support of food control activities within the Greater Amman area. The Food Laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture in the University of Jordan is frequently used by JFDA as a reference laboratory for microbiological analysis. For sophisticated chemical/physical analysis of food, the laboratories of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) are considered the most competent reference laboratories.
The Jordan National Society for Consumer Protection (NSCP) was established in 1989. Since 1995, NSCP represents consumers in the National Codex Committee (NCC), in the administrative council of the Jordan Institute for Standards and metrology (JISM) and in all technical committees concerned with food standards since 1995.
The NSCP hosts the Arab Consumers Federation (AFC), which was established in 1998. Eleven consumer societies from 11 Arab countries are full members in AFC and other 4 Arab countries are affiliate members. The NSCP has full membership in Consumers International (CI). The NSCP is very active in consumer education in general and specifically in food safety issues through different means of mass media (TV, radio, daily and weekly newspapers). The NSCP publishes a monthly newsletter and a quarterly magazine and has a website to inform and educate the consumer.
RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH OF FOOD COMPLIANCE - MODEL STRATEGY
The Delegation of Jordan presented Conference Room Document 2 which provided a brief account on developments of a new risk-based management system for conducting post audit and inspection activities on the food sector outlets in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) since mid 2004.
The risk-based management system, recently developed and implemented by the ASEZ Authority, classified food activities according to their associated food hazards and was interrelated with their actual inspection scoring grades in order to determine the scheduled frequency of inspection visits. The system would be fully automated and linked to GIS electronic maps and traceable databank, utilizing mobile devices and radioconnection by October 2005.
The programme also included a food safety awareness campaign under coaching and guidance enforcement which targeted namely food managers and food handlers. Further awareness material was under preparation in more specialized fields of food safety, food borne diseases and nutrition and would focus on various audience segments (i.e. food handlers, housewives, school kids and adult consumers) in different forms such as quiz booklets, colour books, guide handouts, brochures and posters both in Arabic and English language.
Actual data had shown that over 80% of the establishments had demonstrated evidence of improvements over a period of a year.
The following Conference Room Documents relate to Jordan
- CRD 1: Risk Management Approach on imported food control ( Jordan )
- CRD 2: Risk Management Approach on Food Compliance - Model Strategy ( Jordan )
- CRD 7: Food Safety in Jordan- Overview and Resources ( Jordan )
- CRD 8: Surveillance of Food Borne Diseases in Jordan ( Jordan )
- CRD 9: Major Issues and Challenges in Food Safety (Five - Year record) ( Jordan )
- CRD 10: Export Restrictions on Jordanian Processed food of animal origin ( Jordan )
Information last updated - January 2007