Antigua and Barbuda is moving towards establishing an Agriculture Health and
Food Safety Policy for the country, designed to improve the national agriculture
and food safety systems.
The announcement is contained in remarks delivered by Agriculture Minister, E.P
Chet Greene to commemorate the observance of World Food Safety Day (WFSD),
today June 7.
“This policy will include measures for establishing participation in the work of
Codex as part of the agriculture, health, and trade mandates. The development of
stronger synergies between these sectors through the use and application of
standards will be key for advancing the achievement of key Sustainable
Development Goals to include but not limited to Goal 2 – Zero hunger, and Goal
12 – responsible production and consumption,” he remarked.
He added that as the Ministry of Health does its part to bring recognition to the
WFSD activities to highlight and recognize the benefits of safe food, the Ministry
of Agriculture and the government are encouraging all residents to increase their
interactions with Agriculture, Health and the Bureau of Standards to avail
themselves of the information and resources that are accessible to all.
“The information, resources, and awareness activities can ultimately assist each
individual to realise an improvement in food safety and the general quality of life,”
he stated.
He recalled that the road to the inaugural World Food Safety Day started with the
Codex Alimentarius Commission at its 39 th session in 2016, unanimously agreeing
to promote a proposal to proclaim WFSD on a permanent basis within the
framework of the United Nations.
Minister Greene is also congratulating the Codex Alimentarius Commission on its
60 th anniversary and for spearheading efforts to establish WFSD as a permanent
observance. Since then, he revealed that the Commission has been exercising its
mandate to develop standards, guidelines, and codes of practice that contribute to
the safety and quality of food, and fairness of international food trade.
“When these standards, guidelines, and codes of practice are applied, consumers
can trust the safety and quality of the food products they buy, and importers can
trust that the food they ordered will be in accordance with suitable quality and
safety specifications,” he concluded.
