eFood is being launched in Ukraine – a unified system for business and regulatory oversight
The initiative aims to transform the system of state oversight, making it digital, transparent and more user-friendly for businesses and citizens. The changes will come into force on 31 March.
This is stated on the CMU website.
Serhiy Tkachuk, Head of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, noted that the launch of eFood is part of a systemic reform of the service and involves the creation of a new architecture for state control that will meet European standards. According to him, this is not merely about the digitisation of individual processes, but also a complete overhaul of approaches to service delivery and the state’s interaction with business.
The reform aims to address issues related to the fragmentation of systems, duplication of functions and paper-based document flow. In particular, previously a significant proportion of processes were carried out manually or via disparate registers, which complicated oversight and delayed the issuance of permits.
The launch of eFood is also linked to Ukraine’s fulfilment of its international obligations under the Association Agreement with the EU. The system is intended to ensure integration into the European control model, particularly regarding product traceability, risk management and digital data exchange.
The unified electronic system will bring together key services and tools, including:
- a single portal for the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection;
- an electronic user account for businesses;
- the State Register of Market Operators;
- mobile tools for inspectors;
- analytical modules, including a regional attractiveness map;
- integrated registers and information systems.
In the long term, eFood is set to consolidate up to 17 registers and provide over 500,000 services annually.
According to Tkachuk, the system will significantly reduce the time taken to obtain services: in particular, facility registration can be completed within a few hours, and permits issued within 7–15 days instead of up to 30 days previously.
In the first phase, the system will cover nine core services, including the registration of facilities, the issuance of permits and the submission of feed declarations. The project is being implemented on a pilot basis, which will allow the new model to be tested, weaknesses to be identified and a regulatory framework to be prepared for further scaling.
It is expected that the introduction of eFood will be an important step towards the digitalisation of state control, reducing bureaucracy and creating a transparent and predictable business environment.
