Launch of Ministry of Industry’s Expert Guide to Food Manufacturing

The Ministry of Industry launched yesterday the ‘Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in Lebanese Food Industries Orientation Guide’ targeting poultry, red and processed meat, breads, pastries and ready-made food sectors, and which is the outcome of collaborative work between the Ministry and the UNDP program ‘Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals Lebanon (TOKTEN). On this, Minister Hussein Haj Hassan underlined the importance of such an endeavor which reflects clear engagement and cooperation between all the partners involved in the food manufacturing sector. “We would like to preserve and develop the prosperity of this sector for it represents a large part of the domestic industry, is an important source of job creation and accounts for 20-25% of exports. “Besides, it provides consumer food commodities to the local community,” Haj Hassan stated. Finally, he stressed the need to implement legislations related to this sector, to improve technical standards, conduct regular lab tests and promote interaction between state-control agencies and self-control systems existing within the private establishments. (As Safir, Al Diyar, March 11, 2016)