The National Institute for Standardisation and Quality (INNOQ) has approved six national standards designed to respond to the challenges facing the fisheries and aquaculture sector, namely production quality and product traceability.
According to the newspaper Noticias, these are standards supported by the Mozambican Aquaculture Products Market Access (MAMAP) project, developed with the support of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
According to Ancha Issufo, head of the Food and Services Department in the Standardisation Division, ‘the standards aim to promote good practices in the areas of public health and food safety, ensuring the quality and monitoring of products from the fisheries and aquaculture sector.’
She went on to say that ‘the requirements defined aim to encourage the development of this sector’s value chain, facilitating access to markets and reinforcing compliance with international standards.’
Among the standards approved is the one on assessing the quality of tilapia fry, as well as the one on the quality of feed for these animals. In addition, specific requirements for the traceability of crustacean products have also been approved.
The aim is to monitor the production and distribution chain, identifying the origin and route of the product until it reaches the consumer. The Technical Commission for Food and Health Standardisation has been working on other standards, such as those for fermented milk, minced meat, cured meat and guest meat, among others.
According to Alcinda Duvane, director of the Standardisation Division, ‘this approval is part of a wider effort involving around twenty commissions from various sectors’. These committees are in charge of evaluating and updating the standards, taking into account the five-year cycle needed to review them and adjust them to the growing demands of quality.
‘The committees involved include those from the environment, safety and building materials sectors, whose consultation processes took place between September and November,’ explained Duvane.
