Good morning,
Mrs Maria del Rocio Saenz, Minister of Health,
Mr Rodolfo Coto, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock,
Mrs Doris Osterlof, Minister of Foreign Trade,
Mr Kraisid Tontisirin, Director of the FAO Food and Nutrition Division based in Rome,
Mr Jorgen Schlundt, Director, World Health Organization,
Mr Alan Bojanic, FAO Representative in Costa Rica,
Mr Carlos Samayoa, Representative of the Pan-American Health Organization, WHO Regional Office in Costa Rica,
Ladies and Gentlemen, members of delegations of the countries present today,
Ladies and Gentlemen, representatives of non-governmental, regional and intergovernmental organizations,
Ladies and Gentlemen, observers from international food trade, food industry and consumer groups,
Special Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I should like first to welcome to our country the participants and speakers here today from Latin America and the Caribbean and from other parts of the world. I hope that your stay in Costa Rica will be very pleasant and productive.
I should also like to take this opportunity to thank the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization for having chosen our country to hold this event.
I know this was a difficult decision for FAO and WHO as fellow countries with excellent organizational skills also offered to host the Conference, so our responsibility in hosting this event in the best possible manner is a national commitment.
And as part of this commitment and to ensure that all participants can take part in the Conference under the best possible conditions, his Excellency the President of the Republic signed an Executive Decree last September declaring this Regional Conference to be in the Public Interest.
For Costa Rica, it is highly gratifying to be hosting this important event which brings together food safety officials and experts from all over the world to discuss the implementation of measures to promote food safety in each of our countries.
The global economy has undergone an accelerated process of liberalization of trade in recent years, with the virtual elimination of barriers to the introduction of new products on individual markets.
The growing liberalization of trade in food and agricultural products benefits consumers and producers alike because of the greater variety of wholesome foods and products made available and the opportunity to earn higher earnings from trade with other markets.
However, this increasing flow of trade also heightens the possibility of food-borne diseases spreading more easily and indeed more rapidly between countries, which present risks to consumer health and economic hazards for food producers, should they have to withdraw a product from the market for reasons of safety.
The establishment of national food safety systems has therefore become a very topical and pressing issue, as countries - especially the developed countries - have sought to implement increasingly strict sanitary control measures, converting their traditional food control structures into a strong, integrated and intersectoral systems of sanitary control.
For their part, the developing countries are striving to establish stricter systems of control and, given their resource limitations, are concentrating on establishing systems of equivalence which serve to guarantee the same levels of protection, in terms of food safety, but at lower cost.
Preventing and addressing food-borne disease is not an issue exclusive to public health; it also affects production systems, national and international trade and the competitiveness of our countries, and so has a direct impact on the growth of our economies and the general welfare of our populations.
Current food safety, quality and market competitiveness requirements constitute a challenge that requires renewed criteria, creativity and a willingness to work in partnership, both in the public arena and in the private sector.
The safety of food and agricultural products is a fundamental requisite to be able to compete successfully on the global market. Our food safety systems need to be robust and reliable if we are to cater to markets that have explicit food safety requirements and if we are to place our products on the most demanding of markets and remain on those markets.
If we are to improve these conditions and generate economic growth, our countries need to focus on strengthening the small and medium food enterprises, with integrated programmes of financing, business planning and management, training and technical assistance so that, modernized, they can easily incorporate good agricultural, manufacturing and food handling practices and other recommendations issued by the international organizations.
This is a task that requires the joint action of government, the private sector, academia and consumers.
At the same time, the State should not only issue food regulations that incorporate the concepts of quality and safety but should also promote the institutional coordination of the public bodies involved, including the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Economy and Trade, so that they are actively involved in drafting the regulations and, even more importantly, work together in ensuring their strict enforcement, so that consumers are guaranteed food that is safe.
For their part, consumers also have a lead role to play; they need to be increasingly demanding in their consumer decisions, seeking more information on the products they purchase and thereby giving added relevance to aspects such as nature, origin, production systems and processes, traditional practices and the specific characteristics of each product placed on the market.
That only leaves me to wish you a very successful Conference. I hope that you will put the lessons learnt, recommendations and agreements to the best possible use in your everyday activities for the strengthening and growth of our economies.
Finally, I should like to commend the commitment and collaboration of the officials and staff of the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Livestock, and Foreign Trade, the country representations of FAO and PAHO and their international organizations, the national private sector and of course the participation of all of you, the people who know all about this subject and who, in the final analysis, will determine the success of this Conference.
On behalf of the Government of Costa Rica, I hereby declare open the FAO/WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for the Americas and the Caribbean and welcome you to Costa Rica.
Thank you.
