“We are what we eat” is an old proverb. Our nutritional status, health, physical and mental faculties depend on the food we eat and how we eat it. Access to good quality food has been man’s main endeavour from the earliest days of human existence. Safety of food is a basic requirement of food quality. “Food safety” implies absence or acceptable and safe levels of contaminants, adulterants, naturally occurring toxins or any other substance that may make food injurious to health on an acute or chronic basis. Food quality can be considered as a complex characteristic of food that determines its value or acceptability to consumers. Besides safety, quality attributes include: nutritional value; organoleptic properties such as appearance, colour, texture, taste; and functional properties.
Food systems in developing countries are not always as well organised and developed as in the industrialised world. Moreover, problems of growing population, urbanisation, lack of resources to deal with pre- and post- harvest losses in food, and problems of environmental and food hygiene mean that food systems in developing countries continue to be stressed, adversely affecting quality and safety of food supplies. People in developing countries are therefore exposed to a wide range of potential food quality and safety risks. This paper discusses the special problems of food quality and safety in developing countries as well as their impact on food security and presents ways and means of dealing with these problems.
In 2020, the world population will most likely reach 7.6 billion, an increase of 31% over the mid-1996 population of 5.8 billion1. Approximately 98% of the projected population growth over this period will take place in developing countries. It has also been estimated that between the years 1995 and 2020 the developing world’s urban population will double, reaching 3.4 billion. This overall increase in population and in the urban population in particular, poses great challenges to food systems. Intensification of agriculture and animal husbandry; more efficient food handling, processing and distribution systems; introduction of newer technologies including appropriate application of biotechnology will all have to be exploited to increase food availability to meet the needs of growing populations. Some of these practices and technologies may also pose potential problems of food safety and nutritional quality and call for special attention in order to ensure consumer protection. (Source: Food and Agricultural Organisation)
Our country’s economy which is agriculture driven has been increasing food exports in recent years as a result of an aggressive agricultural diversification programme and increasing attention has to be placed on food safety and health standards which meet international requirements. This is vital if we are to maintain the export momentum and guarantee our place on the international market.
In this regard we therefore need to continuously modernise and increase the capacity of our agencies and institutions that are responsible for ensuring food safety and adequate health standards.
As such it was good to see the Agriculture Ministry making an $18M donation of equipment to the Food and Drugs Department to help in its modernisation and increase its capacity.
Agriculture Minister, Mr. Robert Persaud said supporting the modernisation and enhancing the operations of the beneficiary department will give Guyana’s products more leverage internationally while, markets being sought must be sustainable and with some emphasis on value-added.
In that context, Persaud said the necessary paper work, to verify that international standards are set is key to export activities for guaranteeing consumers.
He said, in addition to the Food and Drug Department, support will be given to other government agencies, as the vision is to build a robust system as the agriculture diversification programme rolls out.
This is definitely the direction in which to go as exports of our agricultural produce and products are integrally linked to our economic advancement.