Dr. Nana Annan, FAO International Consultant for Food Safety and Nutrition

Ms. Joann Young, Assistant FAO Representative to Fiji

Distinguished National Taskforce on Food Safety members

Senior representatives of regulatory agencies

Industry stakeholders and key contributors to development

Ladies and Gentlemen

Bula Vinaka and very good morning to you all.

Opening Remarks: Food Safety is Public Trust

Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.

Let me begin by thanking our partners at the FAO, and especially Dr. Nana Annan and Ms. Joann Young, for their support in getting us here

— and for standing with us as we take on the essential task of strengthening food safety in Fiji and the Pacific.

Today is about changing how we think about food safety — from a quiet compliance issue to a foundation of public protection, a pillar of health, and a sign of confidence to our people and our trading partners.

Because when we speak of food safety, we are really speaking about something deeper: trust. Trust in the shops we walk into. Trust in the labels we read. Trust that what we feed our families has passed through standards, controls, and conscience. That trust, ladies and gentlemen, must be earned — and it must be systematised.

That is why this workshop, and the FAO-supported programme that underpins it, could not have come at a better time.

Because this is not just our problem. In the Western Pacific region alone — which includes Fiji — over 125 million people fall ill every year from consuming unsafe food. More than 50,000 people, many of them children under five, tragically lose their lives.

These are not statistics we can ignore. They are reminders of the stakes we face, and the urgency with which we must act.

Grounding in FAO’s Four Pillars

The FAO has rightly laid out the four foundational pillars of a modern national food control system:

• Legislation: A strong legal framework to set food safety standards and define responsibilities.
• Enforcement: Effective and timely implementation of laws through inspections, penalties, and coordinated actions.
• Laboratory capability: Reliable testing systems to detect contaminants, verify food quality, and support risk-based decisions.
• Risk communication: Transparent and accessible messaging to inform the public and stakeholders about risks and safety measures.

These aren’t abstract concepts — they’re pressure points we in Fiji know all too well.

We have laws. Strong ones. But enforcement has often been inconsistent, fragmented, or too slow to prevent harm.

That is why earlier this year, under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Manoa Kamikamica, we created the National Food Safety Taskforce — a coordinated, cross-agency body that includes Health, Agriculture, Trade, Local Government, Customs, Biosecurity, the FCCC, the Consumer Council, municipal councils and more.

And with the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding, we gave that Taskforce a mandate — not just to meet, but to act.

A Taskforce that Delivers

And act it has. Under the auspices of the Taskforce, over 130 joint inspections have been carried out in just a few months. Non-compliant businesses have been shut down, warnings issued, and public complaints — long ignored or bounced between agencies — are now being escalated, verified, and enforced.

In a recent survey conducted by the Consumer Council across 111 restaurants in Suva, Lautoka, and Labasa, — almost half lacked a valid health license, over 80% failed to display food grading certificates, and a worrying number showed signs of pest infestation.

These are not just statistics — they are real signals of why enforcement must be effective and coordinated. This is what it means to bring the first two pillars — law and enforcement — into sharper focus. Not in theory. In practice.

Strengthening Laboratories and Risk Communication

But as we have also acknowledged, enforcement without diagnostics is like trying to navigate without a map. Our lab systems remain overstretched, outdated, in some cases non-existent.

The FAO programme, through this TCP/SAP/4004 initiative, will invest in strengthening our testing capacity — but more than that, in building a network of trained professionals and protocols, so we don’t just test reactively, but manage risk proactively.

And then there is the fourth pillar: communication. Because none of this matters if the people we serve — consumers, vendors, retailers — don’t know the rules, don’t understand the risks, or don’t believe the system works for them. This programme will also help us bridge that gap — through education, outreach, and a more visible public presence on food safety.

Digital Reform Backed by the NDS

Now, let me say something about digital reform. In Fiji, we have never pursued technology for technology’s sake. But we have also recognised that to build smarter regulation, you need smarter tools. That is the core principle behind Fiji’s National Digital Strategy (NDS), which guides our efforts to digitise public services and regulatory processes across government.

That’s why we’ve embedded food safety checks and approvals into our Starting a Business Subsystem — so food vendors, processors, or exporters don’t get lost in red tape. Through the Fiji Integrated License and Permits Approval System (FILPAS), we are streamlining the approvals food businesses need to operate legally and safely — aligning municipal health permits, zoning, and inspections into a single digital process.

And through our upcoming Trade Single Window, we will better control food imports and exports — using risk profiles, faster clearances, and cross-agency visibility at the border.

This is about ensuring our inspectors have the right data, traders are alerted early, and unsafe goods are stopped before reaching shelves or borders.

A System That Works

What ties all this together — the legislation, the inspections, the lab capacity, the communication, and the digital backbone — is one simple idea: a food safety system that actually works. One that prevents harm before it occurs. One that supports good businesses to thrive, and holds bad actors accountable. One that isn’t siloed across ministries or delayed by red tape — but is trusted, coordinated, and citizen-focused.

Closing: From Priority to Legacy

So yes, we begin a workshop. But more importantly, we reaffirm a commitment. A commitment to build — not just a better system — but a more responsive Government. A Government that protects the health of its people, upholds the dignity of its consumers, and earns the confidence of its international partners.

To FAO — vinaka vakalevu for standing with us. To my fellow members of the Taskforce — thank you for your tireless efforts.

And to all of you in this room — let’s carry the momentum of this Workshop forward, and embed these reforms where they matter most: in the everyday experience of our people.

Let’s move from vision to action — and deliver a food safety system worthy of the trust our citizens place in us.

Thank you.