The Government’s Implication in Accelerating Food Safety Implementation

Introduction: The food industry is subject to various regulations to insure safety. These rules are often set-up by the industry and the government. Companies like GWR consulting offer technical counselling and guidance to restaurants to ensure the implementation of food safety regulations. Such a task is, however, costly in time and effort. In October 2014, the Lebanese Ministry of Health (MOH) initiated a strict food safety campaign on practices on the Lebanese food business.

Purpose: To determine if the MOH attention to food safety frameworks in Lebanon facilitated the implementation of safety standards in restaurants.

Methods: Food Safety reports from 56 randomly selected GWR clients were collected over 12 consecutive food safety inspections. Clients were divided into two groups. The first group (Group A, n = 28) included restaurants who were clients at least 12 months before the start of the MOH campaign. The second group (Group B, n = 28) included restaurants who became clients upon the MOH campaign initiation. Data regarding food safety practice were collected using the GWR Food Safety Questionnaire (FSQ) based on Codex Alimentarius standards. A passing score of 80% on the questionnaire was used as an internal standard for a minimal safe system.

Results: FSQ scores were improved by 13 to 15% in both groups across the 12 audits and both groups reached the 80% threshold score. Group B, however, reached the desired passing (80%) score only after 4 audits and 4 audits (4 month) before Group A. Both groups maintained a score over 80% for the remainder of the year.

Significance: This study demonstrates that enforcement of food safety practices by the Lebanese MOH sped up the correct implementation of food safety standards. National legal frameworks are essential for an effective and timely food safety improvement.