The National Office for Food Safety (French: Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des produits Alimentaires; ONSSA) is the Moroccan public institution responsible for ensuring food safety and the sanitary protection of plants and animals.
Missions
ONSSA is tasked with protecting consumer health and preserving the country's animal and plant heritage. Its primary mandates involve applying government policy throughout the food chain, from raw materials to the final consumer.
- Food and Plant Safety: The office controls the sanitary quality of food products and ensures the protection of the national plant heritage. It is responsible for the homologation of pesticides and the certification of seeds and plants.
- Animal Health and Biosecurity: Managing veterinary services is a core function, which includes monitoring animal movements, preventing zoonotic diseases, and registering veterinary medicines and pharmaceutical establishments.
- Regulatory Oversight: The agency issues health approvals for food production units and carries out risk analyses of pathogens that could affect human or animal health.
International Cooperation
ONSSA represents Morocco in the Codex Alimentarius commission, aligning national standards with international benchmarks established by the FAO and the WHO.
See also
References
External links