Food laws must be enforced - Chamber

The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce, Ane L. Moananu, has welcomed new laws aimed at improving food standards.

But she says they must be enforced if they are to be effective. “Samoa needs to ensure it has the right checks in place to protect not only its people but also its structures,” she said.

“We need to consistently assess our capacity and our frameworks to ensure we are not missing any loopholes providing a gateway for harmful products to enter our country.”

She was responding to questions about the concerns raised by three Auckland-based health academics, on the health impacts of trade.

Auckland University Pacific health experts, Jacinta Fa’alili- Fidow, Judith McCool, and Teuila Percival, in their report titled, “Trade and health in Samoa: views from the insiders”, said that some held “deep concern” about the impact of inferior food imports on national health standards.

Mrs. Moananu said the Chamber supports greater awareness about not just imports but all food consumed in Samoa. She identified the importance of labelling to consumer awareness.

“It’s also recognizing that its everyone’s role and right to report any product labelling which may be misleading or do not comply with our health regulations.”

“We need to ensure a safe and healthy Samoa and we encourage the Ministry of Health to educate businesses as well as our people on the proposed standards for food and other products so everyone is on the same page.”

Mrs. Moananu called for better coordination between government and private sector organisations such as the chamber on reviewing existing and incoming standards. Questions and her full responses, as below.

Q. Samoa has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. This report makes the point that consumers are uninformed about the health risks of imported food. Who should ensure that consumers are more ful ly informed?

“The Chamber supports key programs implemented at the moment to promote healthy living.

A number of businesses have implemented their own internal programs to ensure their employees are healthy and are in excellent condition, physically and mentally.

“The Chamber also supports awareness programs by regional organizations raising people’s understanding of the impacts of some additives and how it would impact on their health.

“The Ministry of Health has a number of policies and programs in place to raise public awareness on the impacts of ALL foods and not just imported ones.

There’s the National Health Promotion Policy, the National Health Prevention Policy, Food Fortification Standards for Flour and Salt, the National Food and Nutrition Policy, plus the proposed Food Bill which is now in its third reading in Parliament.

There needs to be a coordinated approach in the implementation and effective monitoring of these policies and ensuring that they deliver what they’ve been drafted to achieve.

There needs to be constant awareness to educate the public about what’s good for them and what’s not. These can be done collaboratively between the Ministry and private sector organizations such as the Chamber.

At the end of the day, we have to recognize that the choice rests with the consumer, but an open dialogue between all stakeholders will ensure that the consumer makes an informed decision on what they buy.

“The Chamber supports enforcement of mandatory labeling for food products stocked by businesses, as these will assist the consumer with their selection.

“Government should ensure that the health sector plan is operationalized and appropriate funding is allocated, coordinated and utilized across both the Ministry of Health and the National Health Service.

There could be better coordination between the Ministry of Health and the Chamber as NPSO when consulting on key policies.

This will ensure that the private sector is fully aware of its responsibility as well as what’s expected of them when policies and legislations have been adopted.

“Government should continue to work closely with the community and development partners to improve the standard of service delivery and reduce the incidence of disease, particularly NCDs. Donor funding needs to be channelled into front line service delivery.”

Q. Free trade requires lower tariffs and barriers, meaning less income to handle the health problems raised by importing low quality food, according to the report.

How best should the country balance the need for short term profit by companies and the longer term need for sustained economic growth with the long term impacts on national health?

A. “There’s no right or wrong answer as to how best Samoa should maintain that balance. There’s no doubt our government’s key priorities will always focus around education and health. This is also evident with the budget allocations every year.

This is also recognized by the Chamber, as the private sector needs a healthy, skilled and educated labour force. In saying that, employment creation remains a priority area that we share with our government.

And without the private sector and the business community, the government would not be able to drive economic growth alone.

“Samoa needs to ensure it has the right checks in place to protect not only its people but also its structures.

We need to consistently assess our capacity and our frameworks to ensure we are not missing any loopholes providing a gateway for harmful products to enter our country.

It’s also recognizing that its everyone’s role and right to report any product labeling which may be misleading or do not comply with our health regulations.

We need to ensure a safe and healthy Samoa and we encourage the Ministry of Health to educate businesses as well as our people on the proposed standards for food and other products so everyone is on the same page.

“We cannot emphasize enough on how important it is to have open communication and dialogue between the private sector and the Ministry of Health, particularly when it relates to the regulation of food and products that are allowed on shelves.

There needs to be a balance when it comes to drafting policies and designing programs and what’s actually happening on the ground.”

Q. The authors comment that "Trade issues are highly sensitive in Samoa, which accounted for the small sample; few people were willing to or felt competent to discuss the trade issues in detail."

Has there been enough public discussion about trade?

A. A number of consultations have taken place on the impacts of trade on not just health but also other areas.

The composition of the National Working Committee on Trade Agreements includes representatives not just from government but also the private sector and NGOs.

There are mechanisms in place for people to raise any trade-related issues.

“Most Ministries have open-door policies, and businesses are encouraged to raise issues relating to trade if/when they encounter any problems or difficulties.

At the Chamber, we’ve been getting enquiries from our members about some misconceptions relating to Samoa’s WTO membership. And its our job to clarify these and provide them with alternative ways or refer them to the relevant government authority.

“Again, its important to recognize that trade discussions do not need to be held in a formal setting; if there’s an issue, send an email, pick up the phone or visit the relevant office to get clarification.

“If you don’t get an answer, there are other organizations such as the Chamber or the Association of Manufacturers and Exporters or SUNGO (whom are all members of NWCTA) whom you can speak to as well.”