Fiji to regulate food standards and imports

The Government will strengthen food control systems and enforce relevant regulations that will effectively and efficiently control the safety and quality of imported food and agricultural products, the Pacific Food Summit heard in Port Vila, Vanuatu on April 22.

Presenting Fiji’s position on food security, Minister of Health Dr Neil Sharma said the focus is to increase marketing of local foods and healthier foods, particularly by the private sector.

“We will facilitate price differentiation between healthy and unhealthy foods while at the same time looking at strengthening national food and health regulators,” he said.

Local authorities will need to implement the Food Safety Act 2003 and Food Safety Regulations 2009.

Fiji also intends to strengthen national food testing capabilities to assure products' compliance with national standards and to enforce laws that limit the advertising and promotion of foods high in sugar, fat and salt to children.

Dr Sharma said that Fiji is among six countries in the region that have carried out national food summits and the issues, threats and challenges it faces are similar to those its neighbouring island countries face.

“We will promote the use of standards to strengthen production of high quality local foods and agricultural products and to facilitate trade, develop and strengthen the existing research & development capacity to increase local food production and reduce reliance on imported food, develop & promote new healthy food products including snacks, strengthen the capacity and outreach of extension services to farmers and to promote sustainable intensified production of safe and nutritious food and agricultural products,” he said.

 Other plans to be implemented include the promotion of investment in value adding to food and agricultural products.

 Fiji is keen to also promote the establishment of home gardens and encourage greater food security at the family level while it explores opportunities for biotechnology to improve agricultural production.

 Farmers will be encouraged to form farmers' cooperatives and producer groups as well as being given support to access to micro finance.

 Dr Sharma said Fiji’s plans were derived from extensive consultations carried out by stakeholders at the Food Summit which looked at trade, at the marketing of local foods and to utilize price mechanisms to improve access to healthier foods, food production and the importance of agriculture.

 “Fiji will strengthen the food and agriculture marketing agency (AMA), and enhance focus on local market, strengthen inter-sectoral partnerships for the production and promotion of safe and nutritious food, strengthen linkages between farmers, food producers and markets, improve partnerships between the tourist industry and local food businesses, strengthen partnerships between the private sector and religious groups, women groups and provincial councils & Consumer Council of Fiji  to improve awareness on health and nutrition, strengthen the organisational structures that support inter-sectoral planning and implementation of food security strategies,” Dr Sharma added.