Barantin collaborates with Canada to strengthen ASEAN food security
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Quarantine Agency (Barantin) is collaborating with Canada to strengthen the food safety system in the ASEAN region through enhanced laboratory capacity and inter-country collaboration.
Head of Barantin, Sahat M. Panggabean, stated that this strengthening is being carried out through the Food Safety Laboratory Management Workshop, as part of the first phase of the CanSafe Project.
“Food safety is a strategic issue in the ASEAN region, both in intra-regional trade and in meeting food needs from outside the region. Global challenges such as food contamination, including antimicrobial resistance (AMR), require the strengthening of reliable and standardised laboratory testing systems,” said Sahat based on his statement in Jakarta on Monday.
He explained that the activity is a follow-up to the cooperation between ASEAN and Canada under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), particularly in the aspect of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS).
The cooperation aims to strengthen the trading system while prioritising the protection of human, animal, fish, and plant health as well as environmental sustainability.
Sahat emphasised that food safety laboratories play an important role in ensuring that every policy is based on accurate, traceable scientific data and meets laboratory management standards.
“Strengthening laboratory management capacity, implementing international standards, and enhancing analyst competence are key to building a resilient food safety system,” he said.
He affirmed that Barantin is open to scientific cooperation in the field of biosecurity to support a sustainable food safety system.
Meanwhile, Canada’s representative through the Agricultural Counsellor of the Embassy of Canada to Indonesia, Jasmine Lebelle, expressed appreciation for the cooperation.
“Canada is proud to partner with ASEAN, including Indonesia, in strengthening food safety systems. Through initiatives like the CanSafe Project, we encourage the exchange of expertise and best practices to ensure strong, transparent laboratory systems based on international standards,” said Lebelle.
The event, which runs until Thursday (23/4), involves various stakeholders, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO), Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), the ASEAN Secretariat, and delegations from ASEAN member countries.
On the same occasion, Executive Director of Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agrofood, Diedrah Kelly, was also present and emphasised the importance of cross-country collaboration in addressing global food safety challenges.
Furthermore, Barantin hopes that this activity can enhance human resource capacity and strengthen the regional food safety system to support smooth global trade without neglecting health protection aspects.