Bobby Krishna reports from Khartoum, Sudan, where he is attending the first Sudan international food safety conference.

The conference is organized by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the Sudanese Authority for Standards and Metrology. The minister of council of ministers for standards, Mr. Kamal Abdulatif inaugurated the conference, saying that countries like Sudan have huge problems with food and water sufficiency. The priority has always been to provide more rather than safer food. He said that the government will prioritize food safety and also called for an international commitment for capacity building in the region. The outcomes of the conference will be used for policy revisions, he said. Sudan is looking to establish a central agency to ensure food safety.

Dr. Ezzedine Boutrif, director of nutrition and consumer protection division of FAO spoke at the inaugural conference . He said that food safety is a key component of food security. Dr. Boutrif said that it is important to provide safe and nutritious food, even during emergencies; unsafe food given to a malnourished people could be fatal.