Despite the diligence of Libya’s Food Control Center (established in 1977) to monitor the quality of imported food, there are many gaps through which many substandard commodities pass through the market. To shed more light on the matter, Correspondents met Abdulmageed Soliman Abolamida, head of the food monitoring department at the Food Control Centre.

Mr. Abolamida, the centre recently banned a shipment of food entering the Libyan market, why was the shipment banned and where does it come from?

Despite the diligence of Libya’s Food Control Center (established in 1977) to monitor the quality of imported food, there are many gaps through which many substandard commodities pass through the market. To shed more light on the matter, Correspondents met Abdulmageed Soliman Abolamida, head of the food monitoring department at the Food Control Centre.

Mr. Abolamida, the centre recently banned a shipment of food entering the Libyan market, why was the shipment banned and where does it come from?

There are many shipments that were banned from entering the market.  Some of the goods banned this November include: 

759 boxes of biscuits and chocolate waffles coming from Turkey because we found rot inside them.
3500 boxes of peanut butter from India were banned because they contained rates of fungi poisoning that were higher than standard. These poisons have the potential to cause cancer. 1925 boxes of tomato paste from China were banned in accordance with the ban on importing tomatoes from China that was issued by the Ministry of Economy in 2010. We also banned a shipment of white rice from the United Arab Emirates because we found live and dead insects in it. There are many other cases but we do not have time to mention them all.

Some traders told Correspondents that many of these banned goods are being traded on the market, is that true?

Yes they are, but they must have entered the country in illegal ways that cannot be controlled under the current conditions. Many of the goods that were denied for not meeting the standards come from brands that already exist legally in the country. We usually refuse certain shipments for errors made in the ingredients, but the companies in that case correct these errors and then we allow the products in again. For that reason it is hard to distinguish the illegal goods in the market from the legal ones. Therefore, to avoid danger, the consumer has to read the ingredients and make sure that the goods are safe to use.

The US Food and Drug Administration declared that some Egyptian products are not fit for consumption. Did the department issue any statement saying that the it is aware of the new information about the Egyptian products and that it will follow up on it, and what are your findings in this regard?

The products that enter the country legally are being monitored according to the existing code. As for the other products tat enter illegally, we assigned the department in Tripoli to take samples from the market and after studying, these products proved that they meet the Libyan standards. This process is applied to all the other products regardless of the country they come from.

Tell us about the illegal products, how do you deal with them after you identify them?

We are merely a technical body that hands up reports. However, in these cases we work with the  municipal authorities to try to take the products out of the market.

Is there a way to prevent these products from entering the market illegally? 



With the current security conditions in the country, these products are hard to control. To have this level of control we need an active customs apparatus with full control on the entering points in the country. Along with that we need an active law enforcement force to coordinate with the municipalities and the Consumer Protection Apparatus.

When talking to traders Correspondents found out that many of them have not heard of the Food Control Centre, and they do not know where to go to test the food they sell. Why is that?

The traders dealing with food goods must have basic knowledge of the legal procedures. At the end they sell goods that affect people’s health and well being and some of these goods are extremely dangerous and can cause death. The legal code regulating food is a strong one and the centre has offices in every Libyan city. Those who ask can easily find information and we have experts who can provide help in the language of the country from which the trader wants to import, and this service is provided for the low fee of 10 Dinars (approximately 7 USD).

We have to respect the Libyan standards and legal codes. In Europe or in the United States you cannot find traders who import goods that do not meet their standards. 
Respecting the Libyan standards saves the traders from the losses they will have to endure when we destroy their goods if they were substandard. The exporting countries do not take back refused goods, when the traders do not order certain standards.

What is the legal procedure of cooperation between the Food Control Centre, the Ministry of Economy and the municipal authorities?

The relationship between the three bodies is complementary. The task of the ministry is to ban the products that do not meet the standards and it asks the centre to provide reports and statistics. The centre itself is the body that conducts the day to day work of monitoring goods and granting or denying access to the market. In their turn, the municipal authorities are responsible for finding the illegal products and taking them out of the market if they have already entered.