The Food Safety Law is making headway and expected to be enacted later this year, with industry insiders confident the legislation will lure more international investors, spark growth in the reeling tourism sector and chip in to national economic growth.
The draft Food Safety Law was prepared in 2015 with 11 chapters and 53 articles and aims to establish a food-safety system that protects personal and consumer health by preventing, controlling and eliminating food-related pollution and hazards.
Provisions cover processed and unprocessed food as defined in the law and the entire food production chain from farmer to consumer in accordance with the general principles of food safety.
Ministry of Commerce senior official Phan Oun told The Post on February 4 that his ministry will hold a meeting on February 8 with the Ministry of Economy and Finance to discuss the draft law before submitting it to the Council of Ministers.
Oun, who heads the ministry’s Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Repression Directorate-General, said commerce minister Pan Sorasak and his ministry are pushing to have the law passed as quickly as possible, stressing that it would ensure quality, efficiency, hygiene and compliance in the food management process.
He voiced optimism that the law would be enacted in 2021, though potentially will fewer chapters and articles than the current draft version, pointing out that it will complement existing applicable regulation.
The law will help improve the quality of exported and imported food products, attract investment in food-processing factories and entice more tourists to the Kingdom, he said.
Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (FASMEC) president Te Taingpor lauded the law and said it would provide windfall for the Kingdom’s food industry.
He said: “This law is good news – it’ll encourage investment in our country’s food industry and will also contribute to improving food safety for tourists who visit Cambodia.”
