Short-Term Consultant: Review of National Food Safety Environment for Horticulture and Fisheries Value Chains in Rwanda and Uganda

Background: Land O’Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening local agriculture, helping agribusinesses create jobs and linking farmers to markets. Since 1981, it has implemented over 315 integrated dairy, livestock and crops development programs in nearly 80 countries — creating lasting impact by linking farmers, businesses, and the public and private sector in local and global contexts. Land O’Lakes Venture37’s long-standing affiliation with Land O’Lakes, Inc. sets it apart. Land O’Lakes, Inc. is one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives. It supports Land O’Lakes Venture37 project implementation with nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights and technologies. This gives Land O’Lakes Venture37 development projects a unique global view of agriculture, food and the power of well-functioning market systems. Land O’Lakes, Inc. supports these efforts as part of its enterprise purpose of Feeding Human Progress at home and around the world.

Project Summary: The Piloting the Use of Third-Party Assurance Programme in East Africa to Improve Food Safety Outcomes for Public Health and Trade is a three-year activity beginning November 2022 and ending October 2025 funded by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) that will pilot the use of a Voluntary Third-Party Assurance (vTPA) Programme in Rwanda for the horticulture sector and Uganda for fisheries to improve food safety, based on the Codex Principles and Guidelines for the Assessment and Use of Voluntary Third-Party Assurance Programmes (CXG-93-2021). The pilot will be implemented in close cooperation with the governments of Rwanda and Uganda and will complement two other ongoing pilot projects, generating additional data and evidence on the use of the vTPA approach in developing countries, and promoting dialogue and learning across West Africa and Central America. The project will also assess and make use of data and information from vTPA Programmes to support ongoing food safety reform processes in Rwanda and Uganda, including the move towards a more risk-based inspection system that will further strengthen dialogue and cooperation with small-scale producers and food business operators, as part of efforts to modernize and strengthen food safety management. 

The pilot will aim to achieve the following outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Increased awareness of regulatory authorities on how to assess and use data / information generated by vTPA programme in Rwanda and Uganda.
• Outcome 2: Improved food safety compliance of food business operators (FBOs) in the horticulture and fisheries value chains based on the use of vTPA programme.
• Outcome 3: Increased awareness of food safety regulators on the application of vTPA approaches in other countries.

Purpose and Objective of the Consultancy: 

In order to work towards achieving Outcome 1 and Outcome 2 above, the “Piloting the Use of Third-Party Assurance (TPA) Programme in East Africa” project undertook a mapping exercise to identify the prominent vTPA programs that are used in the target value chains within Rwanda and Uganda. That assignment set out to provide some baseline information on the existence and use of vTPA programs to manage food safety outcomes within the horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively. Whereas the regulatory framework for food safety in the two countries is elaborate and clearly defined, it is prudent to understand how vTPA programs are being used within the existing framework to ensure food safety. This understanding will provide insights into the existing gaps and opportunities, and subsequently help the project team to design and implement interventions that will lead to improved food safety outcomes through use of vTPA programs. 

The project is seeking a Consultant to conduct a review/scan of the national food safety environment looking at prominent vTPA programs used within horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively against the existing regulatory framework and the requirements thereof, and how this fairs against international food safety requirements for horticulture and aquaculture fisheries. The specific objectives of this consultancy are:

• Describe the set up and requirements of the existing prominent vTPA programs implemented in the horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively;
• Particularly the consultancy should map the set up and requirements of GLOBAL GAP, SMETA, and ORGANIC certification in the horticulture value chain in Rwanda, and BRCGS, IFA-GLOBAL GAP, and BAP in the aquaculture (fishery) value chain in Uganda.
• Highlight the national regulatory requirements for food safety for horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively;
• Assess the extent of food safety control achieved by the above vTPA with reference to the national requirements. The assessment should highlight any strength and/or gaps (including on integrity and credibility of the scheme evaluation outcomes), with reference to the national and international food safety requirements;
• Highlight any opportunities and/or synergies that can be harnessed by promoting the use of any particular or all the above prominent vTPA programs to enhance food safety control outcomes within the horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chain; and
• Make any recommendations on how to improve the use of vTPA programs with reference to the CODEX “Principles and Guidelines for The Assessment and use of Voluntary Third-Party Assurance Programs”, CXG 93-2021
• Develop a draft criteria that maybe used by the government regulators to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of implementing vTPA approaches as part of the Official Control System in Uganda and Rwanda

Consultant Tasks: 

Under this scope of work, the Consultant will complete the following tasks:

1. Review of Documents: Undertake a review of relevant literature on vTPA programs and food safety including any Project Implementation documents available at the time. The document review will include, but not limited to:

• Project Application
• Project report on mapping the existence and use of vTPA programs in Rwanda and Uganda
• Scheme documents for the prominent vTPA programs implemented in the horticulture value chain in Rwanda (GLOBAL GAP, SMETA, and ORGANIC certification) and the aquaculture fisheries value chain in Uganda (BRCGS, IFA-GLOBAL GAP, and BAP)
• Policy documents, laws, regulations, standards and any codes of practices detailing food safety control for horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chain in Rwanda and Uganda respectively
• Any other available literature with reference to food safety control and use vTPA programs in Rwanda and Uganda

2. Field work: Undertake field visits to pre-selected food businesses within the horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively to collect data on the effectiveness and efficiency of the prominent vTPA programs being used to manage food safety outcomes. Specifically the consultant will

• Plan and coordinate the necessary logistics to collect the data in accordance with the selected methodology
• Conduct fieldwork, using transportation arranged by Venture37.

3. Reporting: Prepare a report of the results in accordance with the report structure guidance. Specifically the consultant will:

• Compile and prepare a final report for submission to the project coordinator
• Prepare and present findings, to key stake holders within the horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively

Consultant Deliverables:

Under this scope of work, the Consultant is expected to complete the following deliverables:

• A detailed report on the review/scan of the national food safety environment for horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively.
• Power point presentation on the review/scan of the national food safety environment for horticulture and aquaculture fisheries value chains in Rwanda and Uganda respectively.
• Draft criteria to assess the costs and benefits of implementing vTPA approaches in Uganda and Rwanda

Requested Qualifications:

The consultant for this assignment will meet the following criteria:

• Advanced degree in Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Food Safety, Development Studies, Economics or Law or in the related fields.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in food safety.
• Proven experience of at least 5 years in working with international technical cooperation agencies or in SPS related technical assistance projects. Work experience in Africa preferred.
• Proven working experience in Codex activities and good knowledge of the work of GFSI on vTPAs.
• Good understanding of the CODEX “Principles and Guidelines for The Assessment and use of Voluntary Third-Party Assurance Programs”, CXG 93-2021
• Proven knowledge of international, risk-based food safety requirements and of SPS related matters.
• Knowledge of the WTO SPS Committee and the International Standards Setting Bodies, including Codex, OIE, and the IPPC.

Reporting: The Consultant will report to the STDF Project Coordinator.

Period of Performance: The selected individual will be awarded an independent consultancy contract with a level of effort 15 working days for the environmental scan and related deliverables. The consultant will be expected to undertake field missions in Rwanda and Uganda, to collect data and familiarise with the national food safety context in the two countries. The consultant will propose an appropriate timeline such that the final report is complete by June 30th, 2023.The final detailed schedule and timeline will be agreed upon with the chosen consultant. 

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