Government inks rules on food safety law

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government signed today the landmark Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Food Safety Act of 2013 that aims to ensure food safety all the way from the farm to the dinner table.

Under this Act, a Food Safety Regulation Coordination Board shall be chaired by the secretary of the Department of Health and co-chaired by the secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

"The IRR aims to protect the consumer from food-borne and water- borne illnesses and unsanitary, unwholesome, misbranded or adulterated foods; enhance industry and consumer confidence in the food regulatory system; and achieve economic growth and development by promoting fair trade practices and sound regulatory foundation for domestic and international trade," Acting Health Secretary Janette Garin explained.

Implementation of the IRR will give the assurance that the food that the consumer buys will not cause illness or death, that one is getting what is promised by the label, and, if anything goes wrong after consuming the product, one would know who is responsible.