Manila, Philippines – Strict rules in the European Union, US, Japan, and Australia are forcing government and food exporters to impose stringent rules on processing to compete in these markets. Speaking at the Agribusiness Investment Forum at the Department of Agriculture (DA) this week, Karen Roscom of the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Products Standards (BAFPS) said the detention of food exports could potentially harm Philippine corporations and reduce its share in countries with highly clinical standards.
In the US, the law governing imported food products is the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, which is implemented by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (DA). EU, on the other hand, has different regulations as far as 27 member-states are concerned but it has the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), the EU Commission, and the EU Food Safety Authority (EUFSA). (Marvyn N. Benaning)