FOOD security ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member-economies including the Philippines have committed to abide by the roadmap meant to combat food waste and loss in the region.
“Food security has consistently been a top priority in the Philippines, where the prevention and reduction of food loss and waste are crucial,” said Undersecretary Roger Navarro of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in a statement over the weekend.
Navarro represented the Philippines at the 9th APEC ministerial meeting last month in Trujillo, Peru.
In a joint statement, the APEC food security ministers reaffirmed commitment to the APEC Food Security Roadmap Towards 2030 which emphasizes the need for open, fair, transparent, productive, sustainable, resilient, innovative and inclusive agri-food systems.
The DA said APEC officials noted the need for tailored approaches to agricultural sustainability rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.
For the Philippines, Navarro highlighted several ongoing initiatives by the DA, including the development of advanced post-harvest technologies, improved storage facilities, better packaging solutions and enhanced distribution systems.
Navarro said these efforts aim to support farmers, fisherfolk and stakeholders across the food value chain and agro-processing industry.
DA said the meeting also focused on fostering multi-sectoral, context-specific, voluntary and science-based approaches to tackle food loss and waste apart from strengthening institutional frameworks; promoting public-private partnerships and stakeholder coordination; encouraging research, innovation, technology; and digitalization.
Other focus areas of the meeting are enhancement of capacity building, awareness and education; improvement of data collection and knowledge management; creation of an enabling environment for infrastructure investment; and promotion of food rescue and donation.
The DA said ministers pledged to support access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food while addressing climate change and promoting biodiversity conservation, citing the 2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition Report which highlighted that up to 757 million people globally, experienced hunger in 2023.
