Food Safety Issues in Agricultural Trade

 

Food safety is now one of the most urgent issues that confront both Asia as a region and the international community as a whole. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned over food quality and safety arising from the globalization of trade in food, intensive agriculture, environmental pollution and natural and manmade disasters. Such concerns have now been articulated via higher quality and safety standards required by markets, with producers under greater pressure to meet such standards in their efforts to build consumers’ confidence.

 

For the developing countries in Asia, quality and safety management systems, product certification and standardization regarding food safety and quality are still in their infancy and need immediate attention. Governments should provide the legal framework and platform to facilitate the implementation of food quality and safety management systems.

 

Comprehensive management systems such as international agreement, standards, protocols, guidelines, and assigning the certification bodies are indicative of the serious efforts under way in many countries to ensure food quality and safety. Efforts to bring national standards up to international levels will significantly enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products in the world market.

 

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