The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its Productivity and Development Center, in collaboration with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), has successfully conducted the Workshop on Modern Food Transportation and Regulation last 13 to 15 July 2021 via videoconference. This workshop was one of the virtual programs held under the APO’s Digital Multi-Country Program.

The three-day virtual event tackled relevant information on global trends, challenges and opportunities on food transportation, best practices, relevant management system (ISO 23412:2020) and the impetus to modernize food delivery systems.   It also delved on policies/regulations to seize the opportunities as well as cope with the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of smart transformation of food transportation in member countries to meet modern consumers’ needs such as timely delivery, high quality, and safe food from secure sources was also emphasized.

DAP President and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Engelbert C. Caronan Jr. highlighted, in his welcome remarks, that the current pandemic exposed the vulnerability of the global food supply chain particularly in the area of food logistics, as evidenced by the delays and congestion created by border restrictions and other measures undertaken to contain the spread of the virus. Hence, industries were urged to embrace technology-based innovations to contribute in accelerating food system transformation in particular the use of big data, internet of things, robotics and automation. However, mainstreaming these innovations largely depends on the manner by which regulatory bodies steer the direction of its regulated actors to adapt smart approaches in operations and policies that underpin these regulations.

Attended by overseas and local participants from Bangladesh, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Republic of China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, and Philippines, the workshop had top-notch experts and practitioners in their field namely, Dr. Sahat M. Pasaribu of Indonesia, key officers of the Yamato Holdings Co. Ltd. of Japan, Dr. Rodney Wee of Asia Cold Chain Centre of Singapore, Dr. Florentin Blanc of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and our very own, Ms. Cherrie Atilano of the AGREA from the Philippines.

The last day of the workshop capped off with group presentations on the challenges and opportunities in food transportation, the needed regulations to address these challenges and opportunities, and the management systems, facilities, infrastructure, institutional mechanisms, and system requirements to be able to install or strengthen and modernize food transportation.

In his closing remarks, DAP Vice-President Arnel D. Abanto congratulated all the participants for completing the three-day workshop with the hope to be able to create a ripple effect as they apply their learnings from this multi-country program. To help transform and modernize food transportation, he underscored the following key considerations in identifying regulatory measures: a) achieving environment-friendly and sustainable development; b) implementing food traceability; and c) developing a viable food distribution channel. He further added that the biggest aid to strengthen modern food transportation and regulation does not only lie in the state-of-the art technological advancements such as cold chain infrastructure and applications, but also in the innovative and collaborative action among agencies and organizations at the national, regional and global scale in carefully designing a responsive food logistics plan which incorporates the necessary food safety requirements.

The DAP and APO, together with its partners in the government sector and the private sector hope to positively impact the food transportation sector and the overall food system in the coming years. For more information, visit www.dap.edu.ph, email pdc@dap.edu.ph or call 8632-2156/2137.

Click to see highlights of the three-day workshop: Integration Video_APO-DAP Digital Multi-Country Workshop on Modern Food Transportation and Regulation.mp4

xxx