Food safety for health and improved trade

The issue of food safety has made headlines recently, after several concerns arose on Chinese products ranging from seafood and farm products to children’s toys. Consumers are now taking unprecedented interest in the way food is produced, processed and manufactured.

Last Thursday, I keynoted the Mindanao Conference on Existing and Emerging Issues on Food Safety in Davao City. It was organized by the Regional Council for Research and Development (RECORD) Foundation, Inc.

Foodborne illness is a growing public health concern. Worldwide, millions of people suffer from communicable diseases caused by unsafe food and water. Cholera affects several hundreds of thousands of Africans, Latin Americans and Asians. In many developing countrues, E.coli contamination is a common cause of diarrhea in infants and children.

In the United States, there are at least 9,000 deaths yearly due to foodborne illness. Salmonella in tomatoes made 561 people sick in the US in 2004. In Japan, bacterial food poising is the fifth most common cause of morbidity. In 2000, 15,000 Japanese got sick from contaminated commercially-sold milk.

Three years ago, 27 school children died in Bohol after eating cassava contaminated with pesticide. Moreover, diarrhea due to unclean food and drinking water is the most prevalent cause of morbidity in the country.

First, the importance of food safety standards is to safeguard human, animal and plant health. We know that access to safe food and water is a human right and a fundamental need. It is a foundation for development, and vital for the dignity and health of people. Basically, ensuring food safety prevents the spread of diseases and promotes good health.

Second, food safety is a key factor in encouraging international trade. Major importing economies like the European Union, Japan and the US have imposed strict sanitary and phytosanitary standards for exporting countries. To an agriculture exporting country like the Philippines, this means that we need to establish a system for food traceability, and a certification system covering crop protection, product handling, and chemical use.

Improving food safety in the country is a huge task that requires a holistic approach: strengthening the regulatory system, building the capacity of institutions and human resource, and encouraging government and industry participation. Building a strong foundation for all this requires substantial research and upgrading of technical knowledge.