Jakarta, Indonesia, 10 March 2020
A Workshop on ASEAN Guidelines on Traceability for Food and Feed, supported by the ARISE Plus, was held on 10 to 11 March 2020 at the ASEAN Secretariat, in Jakarta, Indonesia. This Workshop is the follow up of the discussions held at the meeting of National Contact Points ASEAN Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (ARASFF-NCPs), held on 23-24 July 2019.
Traceability of food and feed is required to enable the protection of consumers against food safety hazards and deceptive marketing practices. Traceability systems enable food businesses operators to demonstrate to their buyers as well as to the food safety authorities that all materials and processes have been applied in compliance with prevailing regulations. If a product with a hazard is found on the market, such systems are an essential tool in enabling a product recall so as that dangerous foods can be recalled and the public warned.
It is intended that this Guideline will serve to establish the essential requirements for traceability for food and feed in ASEAN Member States and provides the basis for harmonised regulatory requirements and facilitate intra-ASEAN trade in food products. The establishment of traceability systems across ASEAN Member States will additionally enable the effective deployment of the ASEAN Rapid Alert System for Food and Feedstuffs. The guidelines will provide food safety regulators in Member States with a reference to ensure that national legislation and is meets the specified the requirements and a reference to assist implementation by all food businesses operators.
After a session of information and experience sharing of current EU practices led by an ARISE Plus Expert, participants from the food safety and agriculture sector from Member States deliberated on the preliminary draft of the guidelines that had been previously developed. Substantial discussions during the have provided inputs for a more advanced draft to be developed, ARISE Plus will continue to support the finalization of these guidelines by assisting the preparation of this new version for a new round of consultations and subsequent adoption.
The ASEAN Guidelines for Traceability for Food and Feed are an essential element of the ASEAN Food Safety Regulatory Framework and will serve as a essential tool in for the food and agriculture agencies in ensuring food distributed in ASEAN is safe.
