The meeting was organised in Mbakomo on March 2022 by the Zoonoses Program (One Health Platform) with the technical and financial support of TDDA.
The objective of this rendez-vous, attended by the different sectors, the One Health Civil Society Network and the Technical and Financial Partners was to intensify collaboration through the consolidation of their action plans. To achieve this goal, the Zoonoses Program and its partners presented their respective 2022 work plans for the harmonization and synergy of activities and calendars, this, to avoid duplications and conflicting calendars.
Also, with the duty to take the lead on the coordination of food safety as the National One Health Platform and to chart a way forward in this regard, the update of food safety and challenges related to the implementation of food safety activities in Cameroon were presented by the representatives of CODEX ALIMENTARIUS and MINADER respectively.
Regarding the update of food safety in Cameroon, the main positive points are the existence of a multi-jurisdictional system whereby different ministries are responsible for different stages of the agro-food chain and within ministries, food safety activities are subdivided by production sectors; and the existence of controls based primarily on routine testing of finished products.
The challenges encountered in the implementation of food safety activities are related to steering, coordination, mutualisation of activities, development of regulations and national strategy and plans, promotion of food safety, assessment and management of food safety-related risks, the presence of contaminants and residues in food, insufficient resources and ensuring and controlling food safety, to name a few.
Even though one meeting was seemingly insufficient to completely chart a way forward for food safety in Cameroon, this gave rise for the need to further reflections in subsequent meetings. The key recommendation was for the One health platform to capitalize on the existing achievements and sustain the actions/activities of the various structures and also for partners to continue supporting the implementation of One Health activities.
A coordinating meeting to launch stakeholders activities
