The Department of Agriculture (DA) once again expressed its unwavering dedication to strengthening its food safety measures and protecting consumers from foodborne illnesses and food contamination during the opening ceremony of the Food Safety Awareness Week on October 24, 2022.
Recognizing “a need for continuous education on food safety to achieve the goal of eradicating food poisoning and other foodborne illness,” the Food Safety Awareness Week is celebrated every last week of October as per Presidential Proclamation No. 160, series of 1999.
According to Assistant Secretary for Regulations and Field Inspectorate James Layug, the celebration is a clear manifestation of DA’s commitment to its mandate and a reminder that food safety plays a very important role in the food trade.
DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, through Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel de Mesa, expressed that under the leadership of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM), the Department has restructured the country’s food safety policies and regulations; developed world-class safety standards with help of institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO); and encouraged closer coordination between local government units, national government agencies, and the scientific community to boost food safety research, education, and surveillance efforts in the Philippines.
The Food Safety Awareness Week celebration, which showcases a week-long food bazaar and an exhibit of information materials, was also attended by Assistant Secretary-designate for Policy, Research, and Development Noel Padre and heads of Food Safety Regulatory Agencies. ### (Krystelle Ymari Vergara/Gian Carlo Luague, DA-AFID)
