Capacity Building for Seafood Safety and Compliance with Market Requirements Samoa

Commonwealth Secretariat - Project Dates:
July 2010 - December 2011

Description of Project:
The Commonwealth Secretariat received a request for technical assistance from the Government of Samoa to support a programme of capacity building for key private sector players in the fish supply chain as well as those public sector officials charged with undertaking relevant inspection, monitoring and enforcement activities (e.g. members of the Fisheries Division Seafood Safety Body Inspection team).

Services Provided:
The objective of the project was to improve the quality and safety of fish produced in Samoa and to assure greater confidence in the integrity of seafood marketed, domestically, regionally and internationally.
This was achieved through a programme of interventions in Samoa specifically designed to raise the capacity of those directly involved in the relevant fish supply and/or value chain(s). The project also raised the capacity of relevant competent authorities to regulate and implement appropriate business practices, particularly relating to food safety. To enhance sustainability of the capacity building programme, the training was preceded by a review of the Samoan seafood safety legislative framework and systems and resulted in the production of a new draft legal instrument relevant to seafood safety.