Food Safety and Quality Act, 2011

This Act establishes a food safety and quality regime by instituting structures and control mechanisms to ensure the safety and quality of food and feed at the national level and for connected matters. There is established by this Act the Food Safety and Quality Authority of The Gambia. The Authority shall be responsible for (a) the overall official control of food safety and quality; (b) ensuring that food and feed comply with legal requirements, or where appropriate with approved codes of good practice; (c) carrying out inspection, sampling, and certification of food and feed for import and export when so required; (d) inspecting establishments, processes and products throughout the production and distribution chain; (e) assessing laboratory services in terms of technical capacity to carry out food and feed analysis for official control; (f) delegating food and feed safety and quality responsibilities to Competent Bodies and Persons where appropriate; (g) participating in activities relating to standards and technical regulations for food and feed at the national, regional and international levels; (h) promoting the development of frameworks of mutual recognition with foreign food safety authorities; (i) ensuring that the adopted inspection procedures are based on risk assessment; (j) developing and enforcing a code of conduct for Competent Bodies and Persons; and (k) maintaining well trained and competent staff within the Authority.
In addition, the Act provides for food safety requirements; feed safety requirements; imported food and feeds; food and feed exported from The Gambia; registration of food or feed businesses; licensing of food or feed establishments, vehicles and vessels; food safety responsibilities of food and feed business operators; regulation of food and feed quality; declarations and labelling; false and misleading descriptions; official control of food and feed safety; general provisions for official control of food; action in case of contraventions; annual inspection programme and report; laboratory analysis of samples; accreditation of official testing laboratories; emergencies and crisis management; emergency measures for ensuring safety of food and feed; general plan for crisis management and emergency; and offences and defences.