Partnerships for Food Safety
A World Bank Dinner Dialogue with the APEC FSCF and FSCF PTIN
30 July 2009
The World Bank Group, members of the APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum (FSCF), and the APEC FSCF Partnership Training Institute Network (PTIN) propose to meet in Singapore on 30 July 2009 for a dinner dialogue on ways of implementing public-private partnerships to enhance food safety in the region.
Rationale
Food safety is an important part of both public health and food market development. Both the World Bank and the FSCF have been working to build capacity in food safety in the region. World Bank teams have undertaken various country assessments of sanitary and phytosanitary food safety and agricultural health capacity in South East Asia and are working to incorporate food safety into project lending in the region. At APEC Leaders' direction, the FSCF has worked towards strengthening food safety in the region, based on principles and actions outlined in the Hunter Valley 2007 Statement. Recognizing the role of the food and agri-business sector as a key stakeholder group in food safety, a tri-partite public/private sector Partnership Training Institute Network was also established under the FSCF by APEC Leaders in 2008 among other things to leverage the expertise and resources of the private sector and academia for food safety capacity building in the APEC region.
For both the World Bank and the FSCF PTIN, there is a recognition that building strength in food safety management, both in the private and public sectors, not only safeguards human health but also enhances food sector productivity and food trade competitiveness. Developing joint public-private leadership in food safety in the region thus will be critically important to the region’s economic growth and consumer welfare. Given the changing composition of international food and agricultural trade, and the increasing importance of assured compliance, supply chain governance, and competitive market structures, the APEC region stands to gain significantly from a coordinated approach to enhancing food safety.
Format
The dinner dialogue would be co-chaired by the Agribusiness Team Leader of the World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department and the FSCF Co-Chairs. A draft agenda follows. Participants would include business development, quality assurance and food safety executives, and private benchmarking, standard holders and certification bodies attending the World Bank’s two-day Agri-business Conference in Singapore, as well as members of the FSCF and of the APEC FSCF PTIN Steering Group.
Participants will be grouped in tables with one designated discussant and rapporteur per table. The dinner dialogue would be opened by the World Bank. Dr. Robert Brackett as an industry representative on the PTIN Steering Group would then give the keynote address, which would be the scene-setter for the evening. Participants would be asked to discuss over dinner two or three questions posed by Dr. Brackett. At the conclusion of the dinner, each table would be asked to briefly summarize their conclusions. FSCF Co-Chairs would provide their observations and closing remarks. A summary of key conclusions would be prepared as part of the FSCF PTIN report to the FSCF Co-Chairs.
Possible questions could include:
- Who are the important stakeholders in the food community and what issues do these groups think are most important?
- How can we leverage available resources (government, private sector, funding agencies, academia) to ensure the region’s leadership in food safety?
- What type of public-private partnerships make sense in developing food safety expertise throughout the supply chain?
Partnerships for Food Safety
World Bank Dinner Dialogue with the APEC FSCF and FSCF PTIN
30 July 2009 (venue TBC)
Draft Agenda
7:00pm Welcome and introductions by [The World Bank Group]
7:05pm Observations by the FSCF Co-Chairs
7:15pm Setting the Scene – Public and private cooperation in food safety management: What are the challenges? Who are the key sets of actors and stakeholders? What are their concerns?
Dr. Robert Brackett, Senior Vice President, Grocery Manufacturers Association, Industry Representative, PTIN Steering Group
7:25pm Points and questions for discussion.
7:30pm Dinner and discussion at tables. Discussion at each table will be led by a discussant
9:00pm Summary of discussions at each table by discussants
9:20pm Closing observations by the FSCF Co-Chairs
9:30pm Conclusion of dinner.