The Senate of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) approved the long-awaited law on food safety on January 23, aimed at regulating relations in the field of food security and ensuring the safe nutrition of the population.
The law sets clear guidelines to guarantee that the food supply is both nutritious and safe for consumption, while also establishing efficient market mechanisms for food production and raw material processing.
The primary objective of the new law is to create a robust food safety framework that ensures citizens have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. The law calls for the formation of a circulating stock of food products and raw materials to meet minimum consumption standards, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of essential foodstuffs to the population.
A key feature of the law is the promotion of food production that adheres to strict sanitary, veterinary, and phytosanitary standards, as established by existing legislation. It also stresses the importance of maintaining a balanced approach to foreign economic activity, particularly focusing on the export and import of socially important food products.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been designated as the central authority for ensuring food safety, entrusted with coordinating efforts at both the national and local levels. The ministry will also work on strategies to improve food production processes and prevent factors that negatively impact food safety.
The law also includes provisions for preventing food shortages, forming a stable food balance, and clearly outlines the rights and obligations of consumers and businesses involved in the food sector.
In his address to the Senate in 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of food security, citing it as one of the country's most pressing challenges given the growing population. He stressed that maintaining adequate reserves of all food products should become a core element of state policy to ensure price stability and availability across Uzbekistan.
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Twitter pages to keep current on world news.
Comments (0)