Public awareness and regulatory systems for food safety in the Philippines

Issue Date

6-2003

Abstract

Food safety is an important issue that concerns the health of every individual. Millions of people die from diarrheal illnesses, which are mainly due to the ingestion of contaminated food or water. At present, governments around the world are focused on genetic modification of food and food contamination. In the Philippines, food safety is assured through proper control, food hygiene and sanitation. The government bodies, which are mainly responsible for food safety, are under the Department of Health and Agriculture. To ensure food safety, basic food laws were established and are embodied in a number of legislative acts and presidential decrees. The Philippine regulatory agencies adopt the Codex Alimentarius. The codex standards contain requirements for food aimed at ensuring for the consumer wholesome food products free from adulteration and correctly labeled. The Philippine government supports biotechnology R & D. It is the policy of the state to promote the safe and responsible use of modern technology and its products in order to achieve food security, equitable access to health services, sustainable and safe environment for industry development. Several issues concerning GMOs are discussed in this paper. The discussion centered on the risks, morality of technology, accountability and public awareness and information. The government has adequate controls when it comes to food safety. The dissemination and proper implementation of these policies and guidelines are vital in ensuring the safety of Filipinos in terms of food consumption.

Source or Periodical Title

Journal of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences

ISSN

0859-3132

Volume

9

Issue

1

Page

8-22

Document Type

Article

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Frequency

biannually

Physical Description

8 tables

Language

English

En – AGROVOC descriptors

CODEX ALIMENTARIOUS; FOOD LEGISLATION; REGULATIONS; FOOD SAFETY; FOOD HYGIENE; FOOD CONSUMPTION; FOOD LABELLING; BIOTECHNOLOGY; CONSUMER BEHAVIOR; CONSUMER SATISFACTON; PHILIPPINES

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