Cambodia celebrates strides made in fostering development of food standards throughout the food chain
Three hundred stakeholders in agriculture, food and nutrition came together on 16 August 2023 in Phnom Penh, for Cambodia’s World Food Safety Day commemoration, aimed at drawing attention and inspiring action on food safety.
Policymakers, development partners, non-governmental organizations, key experts, the private sector, researchers, lecturers, students, farmers, and youth groups stood together in solidarity and as a call to action that everyone, everywhere should play a role in ensuring food safety for all. This marked the Cambodia’s second World Food Safety Day celebration and was held under the theme Food standards save lives, as organized under the leadership of the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD).
“Foodborne illness is a crucial public health issue in Cambodia. We are committed to ensuring that our food supply is safe and healthy for all Cambodians through a multisectoral approach, which will lead to safe and healthy diets, accessible through proper pricing and responsive to all forms of nutrition issues. However, this task requires good stakeholder cooperation and a willingness among respective stakeholders to implement relevant food safety practices. These stakeholders should comprise consumers, the private sector and Government from the national and sub-national levels,” said His Excellency Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
Food safety remains a significant public health concern in Cambodia. Between 2010 and 2015, over half of the reported disease outbreaks were caused by food poisoning or diarrhea. Additionally, between 2014-19, 134 outbreaks of foodborne diseases were identified as having been caused by poor hygiene practices during food preparation, incorrect storage temperature control, cross-contamination, and the use of unsafe water and ingredients.
“Food safety, nutrition and food security not only contribute to the health and wellbeing of a population, but also support national economies, stimulating sustainable development. A global pandemic, climate change and rapidly changing food systems have an impact on the safety of food. Only when food is safe can it meet nutritional needs and help adults to live an active and healthy life and children to grow and develop,” said Dr Nargiza Khodjaeva, Acting World Health Organization Representative to Cambodia. “While globally, Southeast Asia has some of the highest incidences and death rates related to food borne illness, the positive steps the Royal Government of Cambodia has made to strengthen food safety to date will help safeguard human health for all Cambodians.”
Stressing the importance of joining hands and collaborating on food standards to safeguard human health, the Assistant Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative Programme, Kosal Oum said:
“Food safety is very much the responsibility of all parties along the food chain, from producers, processors, food regulatory bodies, business owners, to consumers. The huge gathering today signals the recognition of the importance of partnerships and a growing spirit of collaboration among all stakeholders along value chains, from farm to table, considering food environments and the decisions of consumers, when it comes to food safety.”
In line with this value chain approach to food safety, the discussions during the commemoration event covered an array of topics including food standards in production, food standards for street vendors and stallholders, protecting consumer’s health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade, food standards and labelling, school food standards, and the journey towards global compliance, among others. The range of subjects highlighted the importance of different parties and sectors and the impact of food safety standards on consumer and public health and the economy.
“Cambodia's food processing industry has the potential for economic development. The government strives to improve food safety and standards as the country enters the global market. We are currently assisting in developing a legal framework and control system, while building capacity to ensure food standards are improved and public health requirements are met. Through the European Union (EU) funding, we are implementing the food safety systems in the fisheries sector, harmonising with EU requirements, which could be replicated in other sectors,” said Narin SOK, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Country Representative said reflecting on ongoing initiatives that are strengthening food standards in industry.
The celebration provided an opportunity for stocktaking on achievements made in fostering the development of food standards and for providing an agreed strategy with collective priorities moving forward. Such achievements include the historic passing of the Food Safety Law by His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni in 2022 as well as other laws and policies such as the Law on Standards of Cambodia, the law on Consumer Protection, as well as the Law on the Management of Quality and Safety of Products and Services. With the laws in place, much remains to be done towards enforcement to ensure the attainment of safe and nutritious food for all.
At WFP-Cambodia, we’re working on food safety in the context of the homegrown school feeding program. We are not only feeding hungry children, but also ensuring that the food they eat is safe and healthy,” said Claire Conan, World Food Programme representative to Cambodia.
The World Food Safety Day celebration was organized jointly by development partners: FAO, WHO, UNIDO, WFP, iDE, Nutrition International, World Vision International, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Hellen Keller International. The organization of the event was in partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia, through Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Commerce.
The event received support from the European Union, UKAID programme- the Fleming Fund, the German Agency for International Cooperation, the Latter-Day Saints Charities, New Zealand Agency for International Development, the Republic of Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the United States Agency for International Development.