The objective of this PPG is to enhance Uzbekistan's food safety control system to align it with international standards and thereby facilitate trade in priority food products. This will involve analysing the current state of the food safety regulatory system as it pertains to high-priority food products with export potential, identifying priority areas for technical assistance within production, regulatory, and testing requirements for these products, and determining the specific technical assistance needs to achieve these objectives. The PPG aims to demonstrate the economic benefits of investing in strengthening the food safety control system, thereby encouraging increased public and private investment beyond the scope of the project itself.
The current state of the food safety control system in Uzbekistan does not fully comply with modern food safety standards. The existing regulations governing food safety, such as sanitary rules, norms, and hygienic standards, are anchored in GOST standards, and are not aligned with the WTO SPS Agreement and Codex Alimentarius standards. Additionally, there are gaps in implementation, and there is duplication of functions among authorities responsible for food safety. Systematic inspections at enterprises are lacking, and measures are not conducted based on risks. Consequently, the existing food safety system in Uzbekistan often results in unjustified costs for food producers, ineffective management of critical risks, and insufficient transparency and efficiency. These factors have resulted in bans or significant barriers for Uzbekistan's food products in export markets, particularly in developed countries, which are likely to persist until these issues are addressed.
Simultaneously, the Uzbekistan government has been implementing wide-scale economic reforms since 2017, including removal of import and export restrictions, resulted in an increase in Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover. Uzbekistan has applied for accession to the WTO and negotiations are ongoing. This makes alignment with the principles embedded in the SPS Agreement and (selected) Codex standards all the more important and relevant.