Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, June 16, 2011
—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, in partnership with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations today presented IFC’s Food Safety Toolkit at a regional conference in Sarajevo in order to promote food safety and boost food exports.
IFC’s International Standards and Technical Regulations program in the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, helps food processing companies to implement and attain standards necessary to export their products. Adopting international standards increases competitiveness and contributes to the production of safer food for all consumers. The program focused on the agribusiness sector due to its potential for growth, employment, investment and exports.
“The promotion of IFC’s Food Safety Toolkit is an opportunity to share experiences in production, processing and distribution of safer food products in order to ensure the highest possible level of consumer protection,” said Dijana Beribaka, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations. “Enhanced food safety practices will also open the way for food exports to markets adhering to international standards.”
IFC’s Food Safety Toolkit is a comprehensive package of documents that provides food producers with templates explaining their actions and responsibilities while creating products that are safe for consumption.
“We hope this Toolkit helps producers understand that complying with food safety requirements is not only a legal, but also a moral duty,” said Ivan Ivanov, Head of IFC’s Sustainable Business Advisory in Europe and Central Asia. “In practical terms, the Toolkit will help food businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region assess their operational processes and see where they can improve production to increase food safety.”
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. We create opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We do so by providing financing to help businesses employ more people and supply essential services, by mobilizing capital from others, and by delivering advisory services to ensure sustainable development. In a time of global economic uncertainty, our new investments climbed to a record $18 billion in fiscal 2010. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
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