Đaković: Food safety is a shared responsibility

Food safety is not a state that is achieved once, but a process that requires daily work, constant improvements, and the vigilance of all institutions.

This was told to "Vijesti" by the director of the Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs Directorate. Vladimir Djakovic.

World Food Safety Day was marked on June 7, and the Administration reminds citizens that protecting consumer health is the primary goal of all activities it carries out daily to preserve public health and improve the food safety system in Montenegro.

"The popular saying goes 'health enters through the mouth' and that is one of the reasons why the Administration is continuously improving the food safety system through inspection supervision during imports, official market controls, supervision of food producers and the application of modern European standards that guarantee a high level of consumer and public health protection," said Ðaković.

He emphasized that food safety is a shared responsibility of institutions, producers, and consumers.

"Our priority is the protection of citizens' health, and through the daily work of inspection services, import and market controls, as well as by strengthening the risk assessment and management system, we are building citizens' trust in the food safety system. We will continue to improve capacities and apply the highest European standards so that every product on the market is safe for consumers," said Đaković, adding that Montenegro is celebrating this World Food Safety Day in the final phase of negotiations for accession to the European Union.

The Directorate for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs, he claims, has worked intensively in the past period to meet the final benchmarks from Chapter 12 (Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance), one of the most complex negotiation chapters.

"Through intensive work and cooperation with European partners, a large number of laws, regulations and rules have been adopted, official control systems, laboratory capacities and inspection supervision have been improved, which has achieved significant progress in harmonization with European Union standards," he said.

Đaković said that a special confirmation of the achieved results is the long-term cooperation with the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), which recognizes the Administration as a reliable and credible partner.

"An additional recognition is that Montenegro was chosen to host the IPA Beneficiaries' EXPO and the 61st meeting of the EFSA Focal Point Network, and as part of these activities, the Administration also organized a National Event on Food Safety and European Integration," emphasized Ðaković.

He told citizens that although we are in the final phase of negotiations to close Chapter 12 and we have numerous obligations ahead of us that require dedication, expertise and responsibility, food safety remains an absolute priority:

"European integration is not an end in itself, its purpose is to provide citizens with a better, healthier and safer life. Every regulation we adopt, every control we carry out and every inspection has only one goal - protecting the health of our citizens. That is why we do not view our work as an administrative obligation, but as a responsibility towards every child, every parent and every family in Montenegro."

He claims that the Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Administration will continue to work dedicatedly to strengthening the system, implementing the highest European standards and building the trust of citizens, because consumer trust is the greatest confirmation of the success of our work.

"Our goal is for citizens to be sure that the food they buy and consume every day is safe, controlled and in accordance with the highest standards. This is an obligation we have today, which we will have tomorrow and which will remain the foundation of our actions even after Montenegro's full membership in the European Union," concluded Đaković.