With a meeting at the headquarters of the National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa) , the audit visit of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of South Korea (MFDS) that verified the certification system for fishing products , within the framework of the agreement signed between both countries.
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The vice president of Senasa, Sergio Robert, was present at the meeting; the national director of Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Jorge Grant; the person in charge of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Safety Directorate, Eduardo Vázquez; the general director of Laboratories and Technical Control, Ana Nicola; the general coordinator of International Relations, Guillermo Rossi, and the members of the South Korean delegation, Soo Jin Cho and Chanhwei Lee.
The Korean delegation, made up of two agents from the Import Management Division of the MFDS, began its audit on March 4 and, together with representatives from Senasa, toured the Buenos Aires South Regional Center located in Mar del Plata to make an evaluation of the control methods applied by the Fisheries area to products sent to South Korea, as well as the activities carried out by the regional laboratory.
During the visit, staff from the Buenos Aires South Regional Center presented the characteristics of the management system implemented to carry out evaluations and controls in export establishments and the models of international certificates issued by Senasa.
For its part, the return of the South Korean delegation was positive and highlighted the consistency of the Senasa control process and the presence of official personnel designated for each establishment; the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems that are implemented; and the supervision controls and diagnostic evaluations carried out by the Headquarters to the establishments and the official Veterinary Inspection Service (SIV).
They also stated that with this administration and control structure carried out by Senasa, the continuity of safe food trade to this destination is guaranteed.
On August 10, the agreement signed between both countries a year ago will come into force, and the lists of the plants authorized by Senasa to export to South Korea will be published. In this sense, joint work is beginning to achieve electronic certification.
During 2023, Senasa certified exports of products of plant and animal origin to this Asian country, including corn, peanuts, tobacco, cotton, bovine offal, grouper, squid, toothfish and prawns. ■