Press Release
March 9, 2008

Angara laments RP's poor food safety standards

Alarmed over the escalating number of Filipinos suffering from food-borne illnesses, Senator Edgardo J. Angara called for the creation of a unified body that will implement and monitor laws on food safety and security.

"There is an urgent need to create a single agency that will handle inspection and monitoring of the businesses involved in processing and distribution of food," Angara said during the Mindanao Conference on Existing and Emerging Issues on Food Safety sponsored by the Regional Council for Research & Development (RECORD) Foundation at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City.

Angara, the author of major health laws in the country including PhilHealth, the Breastfeeding Law and the National Institutes of Health, also urged several health institutions in the country to work closely with the government and the private sector in ensuring food safety.

"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," he said, adding that millions of people worldwide have already suffered from communicable diseases caused by unsafe food and water.

"Three years ago, 27 school children died in Bohol after eating cassava contaminated with pesticide. In the US, Salmonella in tomatoes made 561 people sick in 2004. In Australia, at least 500 people get sick from drinking orange juice contaminated with Salmonella. In Japan, 15,000 Japanese got sick from contaminated commercially-sold milk," he cited.

Angara emphasized that ensuring food safety doesn't only promote good health but also reduces poverty and encourages regional trade, thus, contributing largely to economic development.

"Local experience shows a strong link between health and poverty, where poor health conditions decreases individual productivity and limits socio-economic activities. Therefore, safe and quality food can help address health and poverty issues," he stressed.

"Food safety also boosts development and international trade. Major importing economies like the European Union, Japan and the US have imposed strict sanitary and phytosanitary standards for exporting countries," he added.

To effectively address food safety problems in the country, Angara suggested that the Philippines, being an agriculture exporting country, should establish a system for food traceability, and a certification system covering crop protection, product handling, and chemical use.

Angara also called on universities to devote themselves to the requirements of the society which include research and development (R&D) in order to produce a large pool of technical experts in food safety and security.

"The limited personnel training in food hygiene and sanitation results to products being mishandled and other poor practices in the plants, which produces unsafe food products. Further, SMEs which are usually family-owned and operated often lack the needed technical experts such as food technologists, microbiologists and chemists." He said improving food safety in the country is a huge task that requires a holistic approach including interventions that will establish or strengthen the regulatory system, build the capacity of relevant institutions and human resource, and encourage government and industry participation.

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