[Global Safety Associates]

Hello All members.

I have started this topic regarding a concern which I have. I am a Food Safety Consultant working in Maldives and we do not have any food safety laws at the moment. However, we do have a lot of international companies investing here as hotels and resorts.

A question which I have to face frequently is, is there any room for an international guest staying at a resort to sue the hotel for any food safety related cases as we do not have any law in Maldives. I need your help and some international laws which could be applied to any nation in the world regarding food safety, if there is any such law.

Looking forward for your posts and ideas.

[MKRMS]

Hello Global Safety Associates,

I am not a law expert, but I am sure that even in the Maldives it is outlawed to cause bodily harm to others. I would strongly suspect that anyone (not only international customers) can bring people to court for suffering injury (as would be the case with foodborne illness).

It is the purpose of food safety legislation to provide additional regulation to an industry that carries a high risk of causing injury to large numbers of people. The absence of food safety regulations will in my humble opinion most likely not protect any business in the case of someone taking them to court to get compensation for injuries.

Although as far as I know there are no international laws that are applicable per se to all countries, there are guidelines and standards for international food trade available from the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an organisation under the umbrella of the United Nations, which the Maldives are a member of: http://www.codexalim...web/members.jsp

In the presence of strong food safety legislation in the U.S. and Europe, I would expect foreign investors to expect compliance with internationally recognised food safety rules, such as HACCP, even though they are not legally required in the Maldives.

Regards,

MKRMS

[Global Safety Associates]

MKRMS, on 26 January 2012 - 01:11 PM, said:

Hello Global Safety Associates,

I am not a law expert, but I am sure that even in the Maldives it is outlawed to cause bodily harm to others. I would strongly suspect that anyone (not only international customers) can bring people to court for suffering injury (as would be the case with foodborne illness).

It is the purpose of food safety legislation to provide additional regulation to an industry that carries a high risk of causing injury to large numbers of people. The absence of food safety regulations will in my humble opinion most likely not protect any business in the case of someone taking them to court to get compensation for injuries.

Although as far as I know there are no international laws that are applicable per se to all countries, there are guidelines and standards for international food trade available from the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an organisation under the umbrella of the United Nations, which the Maldives are a member of: http://www.codexalim...web/members.jsp

In the presence of strong food safety legislation in the U.S. and Europe, I would expect foreign investors to expect compliance with internationally recognised food safety rules, such as HACCP, even though they are not legally required in the Maldives.

Regards,

MKRMS

[Global Safety Associates]

Dear MKRMS,


Thank you so much for your help.

As you mentioned, most of the foreign companies are trying to implement HACCP or ISO standards, however only a few are certified. We are trying to create awareness and your post does help us.