THE government should adopt global standards for supply chain management to ensure product safety and traceability and to facilitate digitalization, the business sector said.
Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said in a recent statement that the government should “seriously consider globally accepted standards to develop not only trust in cross-border and domestic trade but also ensure consumer safety and protection.”
Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization, Inc. President Roberto C. Amores, who is also Philexport trustee for food sector, stressed that global standard compliance is necessary for agriculture and food production, especially amid the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
“The Covid-19 pandemic halted further the growth and development which we would like to see in the food and agriculture sector,” he said. “For us to reach full throttle in agriculture, one very significant component is food and agriculture safety that can be met consistently through standards and traceability.”
Amores said that “food security and self-sufficiency may not come to fruition for us” if there is no “form of standard or criteria in the food supply chain.”
The producers, consumers, policymakers and the government should co-develop and implement standards aimed at mitigating the contamination risks, he said, noting such threaten productivity.
8Layer Technologies Director for Agriculture Technology Jim Leandro Cano, meanwhile, explained that traceability of products requires a multi-stakeholder approach to “move forward.”
He said that product traceability has many benefits for the agriculture sector, including “ensuring food safety among consumers, improving the visibility of loss points and inefficiency in the supply chain, improving data collection, and establishing market transparency.”
Cano added that traceability is crucial when farmers apply for loans as it allows them to build financial record, which is among the bank requirements.
Chamber of Cosmetic Industry of the Philippines President Anna Marie Anastacio suggested the use of a Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN), which is an identifier for trade items.
“If we have one consolidated digital system among our government agencies, then all of those processes will be easier, using for instance the GTIN,” she said.
Anastacio made this statement amid the weak post-market surveillance system in the country’s digital space which takes a toll on consumer safety. This gap, she said, prevents the traceability of unregistered, counterfeit or illegal cosmetic products being sold online.
“Let’s stop playing catch-up with the rest of the world and aim toward being forefront runners of setting the bar in quality standards in the cosmetic global industry,” she said.
GTIN is a measure developed by GS1, a not-for-profit organization crafting global standards for business communication, including barcode.
GS1 Philippines Chairman Jesus Varela said that their standards are being used by over a million companies in more than 150 countries.
“In this new digital age where unpredictability is the new normal, total supply chain visibility will be indispensable in tracking specific data related to orders and shipment to allow quick response should an adverse situation arise,” Varela said.