APEC Strengthens Regional Cooperation to Maintain Food Safety and Keep Trade Flowing

Representatives and food safety regulators from APEC’s member economies convened in Shanghai on Tuesday to reduce food safety risks and mitigate trade barriers through standard harmonization.

Opening the Food Safety Cooperation Forum, Wang Jun, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China, underscored the importance of food safety cooperation as it is the baseline of people’s wellbeing and the cornerstone of international trade.

Vice Minister Wang called on economies to embrace new technologies and innovation, and to align food safety standards and mutual recognition frameworks to make trade smoother and food safer for all. He added that this can only be achieved through a shared regional approach to food safety.

Nearly half of the world population lives in the Asia-Pacific region, making the region a critical global hub for food production, processing and trade. Through consistent collaboration, APEC is now taking the lead in food safety innovations.

From plant-based formulations and cell cultivated meat to precision fermented and new ingredients, food innovation is accelerating prompting the urgent need for agile and science-based regulations to minimize evolving food risks.

“Food safety has a direct daily impact on people’s lives, and standards and conformity assessments are the invisible infrastructure that allows for this safety and builds consumer trust across borders,” said Li Pengcheng, Chair of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance.

He further highlighted the role of digital tools, including electronic certificate verification systems in enabling seamless food trade, and called on economies to embed green and sustainable practices across food safety systems to benefit producers, traders and consumers across the region.

Across the sessions, participants converged on the need for stronger regional collaboration, identifying rapid response systems for foodborne outbreaks, harmonized pesticide limits in food and senior-friendly food standards as areas for collective action.

Insights from international organizations’ delegates including the FAO and Codex Alimentarius Commission, underscored the increasingly interconnected and complex nature of food supply chains, where one food safety incident can quickly spread across the region. Ensuring agile food safety regulations are in place is foundational to food security for communities in APEC.