Arab Republic of Egypt  
National Food Safety Authority  
  
The Arab Republic of 
Egypt  
National Food Safety 
Authority  
 
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The National Food Safety Authority  
Decision of the Board of Directors No . ( ) of the Year 2021  
On  
the Provisions of Recognition of the Control System applied by the Exporting Country 
Competent Authorities in the Context of Imported Food Control  
Board of Directors (BOD)  
After reviewing the Constitution,  
Law No . 118 of the Year 1975 on Import and Export and the Executive Regulations,  
Law No . 121 of the Year 1982 on the Importer Register and amendments thereto,  
Law No . 1 of the Year 2017 on the ena ctment of the Law on the National Food Safety Authority 
(NFSA),  
Law No .  207 of the Year 2020 on the Enactment of  Law on Customs and the Executive 
Regulations,  
Decree of the Prime Minister No . 1433 of the Year 2017 on the Formation of NFSA/BOD,  
Decree of the Prime Minister No . 412 of the Year 2019 on the Enactment of the Executive 
Regulations Implementing the Law on NFSA,  
Decision of NFSA/BOD No . 2 of the Year 2020 on Registration of Conformity  Assessment 
Bodies  (CABs)  Issuing Certificates of Conformity (COCs)  for Imported Food Consignments,  
Decision of the NFSA/BOD No . 6 of the Year 2020 on the Technical Regulations Governing 
Food Import Licensing,  
Decision of the NFSA/BOD No . 7 of the Year 2020 on Risk -Based Food Import Control 
System, and  
Approval of NFSA/BOD at the meeting held on /11/2021  
Decided the following:  
Preamble  
The present Decision is made within the framework of the role performed by NFSA, being the 
sole authority entrusted with the control of food imports, and  the development of food import 
control systems , including the provision of optimum level of protection for the consumer 
against the risks of food imports whilst enhancing the efficiency of the final  release of food Arab Republic of Egypt  
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imports by adopting preventive measures  based on the risk level of food imports, and by taking 
appropriate procedures  for the release of food imports , 
In accordance with the provisions of Article No. 2 of Law No. 1 of the Year 2017 and the 
Executive Regulations  implementing this law issued by Decree of the Prime Minister No. 412 
of the Year 2019 , which stipulates that NFSA shall  solely  exercise the competence previously 
vested in ministries and organizations in respect of the control of  food handling in accordance 
with the provisions of the food safety related laws and decisions, of verification that food safety 
requirements and controls are fulfilled in all food handling operations, and of the development 
of control systems on food impo rts destined for the Arab Republic of Egypt,  and in accordance 
with the provisions of Article  No. 4 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on 
the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) ,  and the Decision 
on the implementation of such Article , and  
In accordance with Codex Alimentarius Commission  (CAC) Guidelines for Food Import 
Control Systems (CAC/GL 47 – 2003), Principles for Food Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification (CAC/GL 20 – 1995), Principles and Guidelines for The Exchange of Information 
Between Importing and Exporting Countries to Sup port The Trade in Food (CAC/GL 89 – 
2016), Guidelines for the Development of Equivalence Agreements Regarding Food Imports 
and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CAC/GL 34 – 1999), Guidelines for the 
Design, Operation, Assessment and Accreditatio n of Food Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification Systems (CAC/GL 26 -1997), Guidelines for the Assessment of the Competence 
of Testing Laboratories Involved in the Import and Export Control of Food (CAC/GL 27 – 
1997), Guidelines on the Judgement of Equivalence of Sanitary Measures associated with Food 
Inspection and Certification Systems (CAC/GL 53 – 2003), and which urge the adoption of 
risk-based food import and export inspection systems, provide special guidance on avoid ance 
of duplication of food  import control activities , and urge the cooperation between the 
competent authorities in the exporting and importing countries in the field of conformity 
assessment and compliance  verification of food  destined for international trade,  FAO/WHO 
Food Control System Assessment Tool is relied upon in the practices of co nducting an overall 
or partial  assessment of performance of the control functions  performed  by exporting country 
competent authority  (ECCA ) with a view to document ing system 
effectiveness  in preparation  for conclusion of equivalence or mutual recognition agreement.  
 
 
 Arab Republic of Egypt  
National Food Safety Authority  
  
The Arab Republic of 
Egypt  
National Food Safety 
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 Article (1)  
Definitions  
The following terms shall, in the application of the provisions of this Decision, have the 
following meanings set forth next to each:  
“NFSA ” shall mean the National Food Safety Authority . 
“Food Imports ” shall mean the food imported into the Arab Republic of Egypt  in accordance 
with the definition of “Food” provided for in Law No . 1 of the Year 2017 on the Enactment of 
Law on NFS A, as well as production inputs and food -contact materials.  
“NFSA -Registered Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) ” shall mean  a third party  
entrusted with the task of verifying and documenting compliance of food imports  with the 
requirements set by NFSA, an d of issuing COCs.  NFSA -registered CABs are either included 
in the list of bodies whose food safety control systems are approved by NFSA, or included in 
the list of NFSA -registered CABs issuing COCs for imported food consignments in accordance 
with the De cision of NFSA/BOD No . 2 of the Year 2020, and such lists shall be published on 
the NFSA website.  
“Food Safety and Quality Requirements ” shall mean the technical regulations on food safety 
and quality requirements issued by NFSA with a view to ensuring compliance of food in 
accordance with the provisions of Law No . 1 of the Year 2017 and the Executive Regulations 
implementing this law , and the applicable international food standards, in cluding standards 
issued by CAC, and approved by NFSA.  
Expor ting Country Competent Authority (ECCA) shall mean counterpart competent 
authority responsible for food handling control  in the exporting country,  with which NFSA 
concludes a recognition memorandum of understanding in respect of the performance  of food 
control system applied by  ECCA  in accordance with food safety and quality requirements 
issued by NFSA . 
“Audit ” shall  mean a systematic and functionally independent examination to determine 
whether activities and related  results comply with planned objectives.  
“Certificate of Conformity (COC)  Issuance ” shall mean a result of a series of measures taken 
by NFSA to ensure the compliance of food consignments with food control  requirements 
whether la id down or recognized by NFSA as food safety and quality requirements.  
“Issuance of a n Officially Recognized COC  for Food Imports ” shall  mean the issuance of 
a certificate officially approved or recognized by NFSA as  a way of attain ing the same 
objectives set by NFSA in order to ensure food safety or considered as equivalent to NFSA’s Arab Republic of Egypt  
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food import control system as well as the issuance of a n attestation stating  that compliance is 
verified . 
“Hazard ” shall mean any physical, biological, chemical or radiological agent in food.  
“Risk ” shall mean potential hazards in food.  
“Risk Assessment ” shall mean a scientifically based process consisting of the following steps: 
(i) hazard identification, ( ii) hazard characterizatio n, (iii) exposure assessment , and (iv) risk 
characterization.  
“Risk Analysis ” shall mean a process consisting of three components:  risk assessment, risk 
management , and risk communication.  
“Traceability ” shall mean the ability to trace and follow food through all stages of production, 
processing , and distribution.  
"Food Withdrawal " shall mean  an action taken to remove a food product from the supply  
chain except for the product possessed by the consumer.  
“Food Recall ” shall mean an action taken to retrie ve a food product after being sold, where 
the consumer is advised to take a proper procedure such as returning  or destroying the product.  
“Recognition Memorandum of Understanding ” shall mean an official document signed 
between the NFSA and ECCA  in respect of equivalence of food contro l system applied by 
ECCA  in order to verify the compliance  of food exports destined for Egypt with the Egypt ian 
food safety and quality requirements , to NFSA’s system with a view to attaining  the objectives 
set by NFSA to ensure food safety.  
(Article 2)  
NFSA  shall  make  an overall  or partial  equivalence  assessment  of the performance  and 
effectiveness  of the food control  system  applied  by ECCA  (in accordance  with Appendix  I), 
including  the operations  performed  in order  to verify  the compliance  of food exports  to Egypt  
with NFSA’s  food safety  and quality  requirements  and /or the equivalence  of procedures  taken  
by ECCA  to the NFSA’s  procedures  in order  to attain  the latter's  food safety  objectives . 
(Article 3)  
NFSA  and ECCA  shall  agree  on an overall  or partial  assessment  of the performance  of food 
control  system  and the elements  thereof  in addition  to the methodologies  followed  to 
implement  the assessments.  NFSA  and ECCA  may limit  the assessment  to specific  food 
exports  and agricultural  food products  destined  for the Arab  Republic  of Egypt.  
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(Articl e 4) 
NFSA  and ECCA  shall  set a framework  for the overall  or partial  assessment  of performance  of 
food control  system  applied  by ECCA , and ensure  the equivalence  thereof  to NFSA's controls 
and requirements , including establishing the future procedures, rules and steps , as well  as 
setting  a timetable  for the whole  assessment . 
In case that the framework  for the overall  or partial  assessment  of performance  of food control  
system  is agreed  upon , international  best practices , including  the CAC  guidelines  in particular  
the Guidelines  for the Development  of Equivalence  Agreements  Regarding  Food  Imports  and 
Export  Inspection  and Certification  Systems  (CAC/GL  34-1999) , and guidance  from  the Food  
and Agriculture  Organization  of the United  Nations  (FAO)  and the World  Health  Organization  
(WHO)  (2019)  on food control  system  assessment  shall  be taken  into account .  
(Article  5) 
NFSA  shall  take interim  measures  to perform  rapid  assessments  of the control  system  applied  
by ECCA  for approving  measures  to verify  the compliance  of food consignments  exported  to 
Egypt  with the NFSA’s  food safety  and quality  requirements . NFSA  shall , as appropriate,  
update  the assessment  results  of the functions  performed  by ECCA  when  conducting  detailed  
assessments.  
(Article 6)  
The recognition  mem orandum  of understanding  concluded  between  NFSA  and ECCA  in the 
context  of food import  control  system  shall  include:  
▪ The scope of food control  functions , food commodities and, where appropriate, 
geographical coverage of production and manufacturing areas, for which the 
recognition of satisfactory performance has been established and documented ; 
▪ The validity period of the recognition memorandum of understa nding;  
▪ The procedures, rules and conditions for evaluating the entire food control system  
and its components , and the effectiveness thereof; and   
▪ The obligations for exchang ing information related to  import and export control 
and verification of conformity, including requirements for communication o f 
electronic COC  /Health Certificate (HC) . 
(Article 7)  
ECCA  shall  be deemed  a NFSA  accredited  party  fulfilling  the requirements  set out in NFSA  
Decision  of the Board  of Directors  No. 7 on Risk-Based  Food  Import  Control  System . NFSA  
shall  approve  the COCs  issued  by ECCA . Arab Republic of Egypt  
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 NFSA  shall  publish  and update  the list of ECCA  with which  NFSA  has concl uded  recognition  
memorandums  of understanding  on NFSA’s  website.  
(Article 8)  
NFSA  shall  amend/update  its assessment  approach  of ECCA’s  food control  functions  in the 
context  of food import  control  system.  Such  amendments  shall  be communicated  to NFSA’s  
trading  partners  and stakeholders  including  publication  of updates  to the guidelines  on the 
assessments  of food control  functions  performed  by ECCA  available on NFSA’s website . 
(Article 9)  
 
NFSA  shall  suspe nd/revoke  the recognition  memorandum  of understanding  concluded  with 
ECCA.  Such  suspension /revocation  shall  be preceded  by consultations  and discussions  to be 
held between  NFSA  and the relevant  ECCA  with a view  to reaching  a mutually  satisfactory  
solution.  
Suspension/revocation  of the recog nition  memorandum  of understanding  signed  by NFSA  and 
a given  EECA , and termination  arrangements  shall  be notified  to the relevant  ECCA,  with a 
rationale  of this decision,  two month s before  suspension/revocation . 
 
NFSA  shall  amend  the list of the EECA  with which  NFSA  has concluded  recognition  
memorandum  of understanding  in the context  of food import  control  system , and shall  make 
such list available  on the website.  
(Article 10)  
NFSA  shall , in exceptional  circumstances,  suspend  the approval  of COC /HC related  to 
conformity  verification  of imported  food consignments  with the NFSA’s  food safety  and 
quality  requirements , and issued  by ECCA,  for a specified  period  of time, and NFSA  shall  
notify  the food business  operators  (FBOs)  thereof . 
(Article 11)  
BOD  may amend  or add any other  appendices  to the present  Decision . 
(Article 12)  
 This Decision  shall  be published  in the Supplement  to the Egyptian  Official  Gazette  (Al-
Waqae  Al-Misriyya),  and shall  enter  into force  on the day following  date of publication.  Any 
provision  contrary  to the provisions  of this Decision  shall  be repealed.  
 
                                                                  Chairman of the Board of Directors  
                                                                             Dr. Hussein Mansour  Arab Republic of Egypt  
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Appendix  No. (1)  
Assessment Criteria  for Food Control Functions Performed by  ECCA   
When assessing the food control functions performed by ECCA , the international practices  as 
well as CAC guidelines in particular Guidelines For Food Import Control Systems  (CAC/GL 
47-2003), Principles for Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification (CAC/GL 20 -
1995), Principles and Guidelines for the Exchange of Information between Importing and 
Expor ting Countries to Support the Trade in Food (CAC/GL 89 -2016), Guidelines for the 
Development of Equivalence Agreements Regarding Food Imports and Export Inspection and 
Certification Systems  (CAC/GL 34 -1999), Guidelines for the Design, Operation, Assessment  
and Accreditation of Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CAC/GL 
26-1997), and Guidelines on the Judgement of Equivalence of Sanitary Measures Associated 
with Food Inspection and Certification Systems (CAC/GL 53 -2003)” shall be tak en into 
account  to be used as guidance.  
The assessment  approach  aims to cover conformity assessment and enforcement functions  that 
affect the control of food consignments before and during exporting, and other various related  
functions . The approach is also used to verify that ECCA , whose performance is to be assessed , 
is an authority that performs food control activities,  which are science based , and according to  
risk analysis in a manner that  attains  food safety objectives aligned with NFSA’s food safety 
and quality requirements . 
An effective ECCA is to anchor its programs and operations in a robust legislative and 
regulatory frame work that enables the authority  to “develop, establish, implement, and enforce 
a national food control system”. Food safety decisions of the exporting country shall also be 
based upon the application of the Risk Analysis Principle. Effective food control  operations for 
setting standard and conformity assessment procedures shall  be developed supported by a 
focused scientific capacity and resources for risk assessment.  
The main bases for assessing  the performance of ECCA  to det ermine the authority’s ability  to 
perform food control functions in general, and food exports in particular, shall include the 
following:  
(A) Ability to set and update food safety and quality  requirements  in accordance with the CAC 
standards , including legislation and requirements related to approvals  issued before  
handling foods in the market (such as pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, 
chemical and microbial contaminants, and addit ives) or hygienic measures applied during 
food production and manufacture , or procedures to prevent food fraud and deception, and 
food safety related legislation, and to comply with the requirements ; 
(B) Ability to develop food control systems within the framework of a preventive approach 
related to FBOs , to apply these systems in the food production sector, and to support the Arab Republic of Egypt  
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adoption of national preventive food safety and quality management scheme  based o n 
international standards, including requirements for traceability  of foods (whether 
produced locally  or imported ); 
(C) Ability to develop and implement inspection programs for locally  produced, handled  and 
imported foods, and to propagat e the concept of food safety culture and systems among 
inspectors and FBOs  in order to focus on risk -based interventions ; 
(D) Ability to manage food  incidents (such as foodborne disease outbreak  manag ement ), while 
supporting procedures and updating application protocols ; 
(E) Ability to demonstrate an effective  food recall system based on risk analysis rules.  
(F) Ability to demonstrate an effective role of ECCA in the decision -making process, and to 
enhanc e cooperation with other food competent authorities, as well as with stakeholders.  
(G) Ability to rely upon a robust and reliable  infrastructure for food testing and inspection 
laboratories (whether governmental or private), whose results can be relied upon, with a 
view to  support ing confo rmity assessment  procedures , to perform  enforcement operations, 
and to support risk assessments and standard  setting ; 
(H) Ability to demonstrate the contribution  in international food standard -setting processes, 
and to rely  upon international standards when developing national food control measures ; 
(I) Ability to provide and support trained specialists in the fields of food safety and quality 
sciences, and to base th e design and operations of food control  functions  on a robust 
scientific capacity , while providing the necessary t ools and data systems;  and 
(J) Ability to demonstrate that the efforts exerted  to promote a culture of learning and 
continuous improvement through training, education and competency enhancement of  
food control personnel and the regulated parties .  
NFSA and ECCA shall develop a n assessment framework, which includes the scope of the 
assessment, the food control functions  to be taken into account, performance indicators, and 
the document ation of the achievements.  
NFSA shall update Appendix No. (1) by adding further  guidance  to be gathered  according to  
food control functions assessment perform ed by  NFSA in cooperation with ECCA .  
The following table provides further guidance on the performance indicators that shall be taken 
into account  when assessing  the performance of the regulatory food programs  used by ECCA . 
Performance indicators are used as illustrative examples, and can be updated with other 
measures.  
 
 
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Performance Indicators  
1. Establishing Food Safety And Quality Requirements  
Indicator  Demonstrat ion of Achievements  
Food safety and quality requirements 
accessible to all stakeholders and partners  (Web -enabled) documents provided upon 
request describing food safety and quality  
requirements  
Food safety and quality requirements 
benchmarked against  Codex  standards and 
international legislation, and where 
differences exist , such differences are justified 
by a risk assessment rationale or a clear 
rationale   Documents/publications referring to food 
safety and quality requirements identifying 
references to Cod ex 
Risk assessments supporting standards/ 
technical requirements developed and 
accessible  Risk Assessments published or made 
available for food safety and nutrition 
requirements , in particular for those 
differing from Codex  
Processes and protocols to develop food 
safety and quality requirements  are clear/ 
accessible to all stakeholders  
 Documents / Notes / Minutes corroborating 
the existence of food requirements decision -
making processes/procedures – for 
example: minutes of Codex Committee 
meetings  
 
Decision -making process/ Governance for 
food requirements discussion and adoption 
available to all stakeholders  WTO notifications for standards  
2. Preventive Control and Traceability Regulatory Requirements  
Indicator  Demonstration of Achievements  
Technical regulations / Technical 
requirements imposed on FBOs to adopt 
preventive measures such as requirements to 
adopt prerequisite programs, preventive 
controls/HACCP and traceability measures, 
including through recognition of third -party 
food safety and quality management schemes  
management programs  Regulations/ Technical guidance 
documents provided to  FBOs on preventive 
controls, prerequisite programs and 
tracea bility across the suppl y chains  
Importer and exporter requirements to adopt 
preventive measures demonstrating their 
ability to control their supply chains  Import/ Export control regulations or 
guidance documents specific to preventive 
measures  
3. Food inspection  
4. Food safety incident management  
5. Recalls  Arab Republic of Egypt  
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Indicator  Demonstration of Achievements  
Workforce dedicated to compliance and 
enforcement, including to inspection of 
domestic establishments, imported food, food 
products destined to export  Documented human resource  capacity  
Inspection – domestic /import and export – 
protocols and procedures, incl uding 
procedures to recognize/ accredit third party 
inspection organizations or certification  
bodies  (COC/HC)  - Documents specific to protocols, 
procedures specific to inspection of 
domestic establishments, import and 
exports  
- Inspection reports  
- Notification reports and records of 
inspection outcomes.  
Procedures and protocols for food recalls 
(including follow -up on effectiveness) and 
food incident management (includ ing 
foodborne illness outbreaks)  Reports/ publications/web   postings 
associated with food withdrawals  and 
recalls, food incidents and / or outbreak 
management  
Information exchange procedures and systems 
for the rejection of imported food in the case 
results of border inspection indicate the non-
compliance of food consignment with the 
requir ements of the importing country  Reports/information management systems 
for recording and manag ing non-
compliance of food consignment with the 
requirements of the importing country  
Food control studies for foods handled i n the 
market to assess food risks  (Web -enabled) t echnical reports/ documents 
provided upon request show ing the results 
of food control studies  for foods handled in 
the market  in respect of various food risks.  
6. Effective Food Regulatory Governance and Decision -Making  Process  
Indicator  Demonstration of Achievements  
Clear roles and responsibilities within and / 
or between food competent authorities  - Documented committee structures in 
support of food (regulatory) decision -
making: terms of reference, minutes, 
reports, procedures/protocols, internal 
guidelines, etc.  
- Documented notifi cation/engagement 
with trading partners for food regulatory 
decisions  
7. Operations of Food Testing and Inspection Laboratories  
Indicator  Demonstration of Achievements  
Reliance on food laboratory results  issued by 
reliable food testing and inspection 
laboratories  Results of food testing in support of food 
regulatory decisions  Arab Republic of Egypt  
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Coverage of food safety, quality and nutrition 
parameters with laboratory analysis  Plans / reports of food monitoring activities 
in support of food regulatory functions – 
risk assessments, standard setting, 
compliance verification and enforcement  
Timely Mobilization of Food Laboratory 
Infrastructure (Whether Internal or 
Contracted) to Address Food Regulatory 
Requirements / Decisions  Documented food t esting capacity with:  
 
a. A list of accredited laboratories,  
b. A list of official laboratory methods 
of analysis used for food inspection 
and limits of estimation , and 
c. Laboratory accreditation reports 
show ing the efficiency, methods , 
techniques and capabilities of the 
laboratory to conduct food 
analy ses. 
8. Contribution to International Standards  
Indicator  Demonstration of Achievements  
Participation in prioritized Codex committees 
/ work  - Codex committee pr eparatory documents / 
reports/ records of contribution  
- Documents of national Codex governance 
(national Codex committee): TOR, reports  
Reliance on Codex to develop national  food 
decisions  Document showing use of Codex standard 
as a reference source for food decisi ons 
9. Trained / Competent Workforce Anchored in Science  
10. Learning Culture  
Indicator  Demonstration of Achievements  
Availability of training programs and learning 
curricula  Documented learning programs and 
associated documents: training material 
plans / reports of delivery  
- Competency -based assignment of      
responsibility  
- Focusing on scientific disciplines  Human resources  plan with indication of 
identified competencies associated with key 
positions  
Availability of a continuous education 
program, planned and executed for the benefit 
of key personnel  Examples of job descriptions with 
identification of key (technical) 
compet encies for food regulatory positions   
Result -based Organizational Learning 
Framework  Evaluation of learning plans and their 
impact on organizational performance