Thrilled to have participated in the Food Safety and Nutrition Summit in Doha, Qatar, last week! A partnership between USDA, GCC Standardization Organization, AmCham Dubai, and Qatar Ministry of Public Health, the Summit sought to advance understanding and collaboration on joint areas of interest in food safety and nutrition for the United States and governments of the Arabian Gulf. As an agronomist and CEO of CropLife AME, it is always rewarding to listen to diverse perspectives and to learn from various stakeholders on the vital topic of food safety!
I was delighted to provide a presentation on the topic of “Solutions to transition towards sustainable food systems while contributing to food security, health, and trade in the Africa Middle East region” and in a panel discussion on “Best Practices for Pesticides Residues in Food”
It is incredibly promising to witness the strong commitment from the US and GCC Countries to prioritize food safety in exports and to maintain trade, which is a cornerstone of food security. It was also very exciting to see convergence among all stakeholders on the following key elements, among others:
– The need to uphold evidence and science-based SPS Agreement and Codex Alimentarius
– Fostering regulatory harmonization
The need to create a conducive trade environment
– Learning from other jurisdictions with discernment and tailoring solutions locally is crucial – but efforts must be made to localize decisions
– Fostering intra-regional trade is essential for growth and development
– Promoting legislative environment for innovations
– Building local capacities, such as labs
– Public-private partnerships are key to driving progress and innovation.
I also took the opportunity to share insights on CropLife’s Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework, emphasizing the fact that such program is successful thanks to the collaboration across the food value chain and a local approach for success.
Thank you to the organizers for inviting me! Moving forward, I am excited to collaborate with stakeholders to progress sustainable agriculture, enhance food productivity, ensure food safety, and foster trade opportunities. hashtag#sustainability.