PHNOM PENH: Food safety remains a significant public health concern in Cambodia. Between 2010 and 2015, over half of the reported disease outbreaks were caused by food poisoning or diarrhea. Additionally, between 2014-19, 134 outbreaks of foodborne diseases were identified as having been caused by poor hygiene practices during food preparation, incorrect storage temperature control, cross-contamination, and the use of unsafe water and ingredients.
This week, three hundred stakeholders in agriculture, food and nutrition came together in Phnom Penh, for Cambodia’s World Food Safety Day commemoration, aimed at drawing attention and inspiring action on food safety. This marked Cambodia’s second World Food Safety Day celebration and was held under the theme “Food standards save lives.”
Minister of Agriculture Dith Tina said, “Foodborne illness is a crucial public health issue in Cambodia. We are committed to ensuring that our food supply is safe and healthy for all Cambodians through a multisectoral approach, which will lead to safe and healthy diets.” He went on to say that reaching food safety goals in Cambodia would require the private and public sectors to work with consumers.
Secretary General for the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Sok Silo, called on the UN to help bring Cambodia up to international standards. “The collective UN Team can support Cambodia by providing expertise and innovative technologies and promoting evidence-based investment frameworks and public-private partnerships for food systems transformation at scale, ensuring no one is left behind,” he said.
WHO Representative Dr. Nargiza Khodjaeva noted the important role food safety, nutrition and security plays in supporting a healthy, sustainable economy by investing in the well-being of the people. “A global pandemic, climate change and rapidly changing food systems have an impact on the safety of food. Only when food is safe can it meet nutritional needs and help adults to live an active and healthy life and children to grow and develop,” they said.
Assistant Representative of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Kosal Oum noted the importance of everyone working together to ensure food safety. He said, “Food safety is very much the responsibility of all parties along the food chain, from producers, processors, food regulatory bodies, business owners, to consumers. The huge gathering today signals the recognition of the importance of partnerships and a growing spirit of collaboration among all stakeholders along value chains, from farm to table, considering food environments and the decisions of consumers, when it comes to food safety.”
Discussions during the commemoration event covered an array of topics including food standards in production, food standards for street vendors and stallholders, protecting consumer’s health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade, food standards and labelling, school food standards, and the journey towards global compliance, among others. “Cambodia's food processing industry has the potential for economic development,” said Narin Sok, representing the UN Industrial Development Organization. “Through the European Union (EU) funding, we are implementing the food safety systems in the fisheries sector, harmonizing with EU requirements, which could be replicated in other sectors,” he said.
The celebration also focused on progress made towards developing food standards in Cambodia such as the King’s Food Safety Law passed in 2022 in addition to laws on consumer protection and quality control of products and services. Much work remains in enforcing and meeting the new standards, however.
