PH food safety framework: Clearing the bottlenecks

The recent report of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pointing to regulatory overlaps in the Philippines as trade barriers should give our policymakers and stakeholders serious pause.

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The confusion arising from the dual regulatory mandates of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Health's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not only hampers trade but also undermines public trust in the country's food safety regime.

At the core of the issue is Republic Act No. 10611, or the Food Safety Act of 2013. Designed to modernize the country's food safety standards, the law rightly placed a premium on consumer protection, risk-based inspections, and science-based regulation. However, its implementation has surfaced institutional overlaps that have, ironically, led to inefficiencies and regulatory bottlenecks-particularly in the inspection, testing, and certification of food products.