APEC, World Bank tackle food safety

APEC, World Bank tackle food safety    Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the World Bank on Wednesday entered a memorandum of understanding to strengthen collaboration on food safety in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the world's population and nearly half of global food production.
   The APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance's Food Safety Cooperation Forum and the bank will work together on training programs to improve food safety standards and practices in the region, as well as to facilitate trade.
   The programs will allow more growers, producers and food safety officials to understand and use preventative controls — resulting in safer food for consumers and fewer safety incidents in food trade.
   'Food trade is increasingly becoming a global issue with complex and interrelated supply chains, which raises the need to address the question of food safety,' said APEC Secretariat Executive Director Muhamad Noor, in a statement.
   Global and regional cooperation to improve regulatory systems is key to reducing food incidents and boosting trust in trade, he added. This enhances domestic commerce and export markets.
   “More widespread movement of food and livestock around the world requires vigilance on food safety and disease risk,” added Inger Andersen, World Bank's vice president for sustainable development. “More exacting standards pose challenges to poor farmers competing in these growing markets.”