EU Praises GCC’s Health Security Measures

Gulf

June 8th, 10:15am

Dammam- Asharq Al-Awsat

EU Praises GCC’s Health Security Measures

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have followed adequate measures to ensure food supply, helped in part by national food security measures put in place well before the crisis, according to Euromonitor International experts. Over 150 experts participated in EU’s webinar: “Beyond COVID-19: Rethinking Food for the Future” during which it was agreed that the COVID-19 crisis has stressed the need for open trade, international safety standards, and greater industry collaboration to address the challenges of a more sustainable global food system. Discussion focused on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on consumer demand and food related businesses across the GCC, as well as what the EU is doing to ensure the region is supplied with high quality and safe agri-food products. Senior Analyst at Euromonitor International Monique Naval explained that after the initial response, governments, alongside key modern retail in the region, are working on securing strategic stock levels for a period of one year. Naval also indicated that they want to ensure logistical challenges are mitigated by implementing certain measures, such as reducing custom fees and using e-versions of documents. EU farm exports to the GCC during the height of the pandemic have sufficiently met the needs of the region, growing 25 percent in the Q1 of 2020 compared to same period of 2019. Trade Counsellor at the EU delegation to UAE Taina Sateri announced that good coordination between EU and GCC authorities as well as EU’s ability to respond with a resilient supply chain, ensured high quality, safe, and healthy farm exports. “We offer access to the food pantries of 27 member states so we can reliably meet the growing consumer demand for fresh produce,” she added. Also at the meeting, Majid al-Futtaim Retail COO Miguel Povedano explained that reliability is critical for retailers, but provenance and traceability will become even more vital to consumers’ purchasing decisions in the future. Povedano indicated that it is imperative to ensure steady supply of EU products and focus on the core strengths of food products that represent value, especially around quality. “We believe better technology like Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence will be crucial factors in improving the visibility and traceability of goods coming from the EU in the future.”

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2323351/eu-praises-gcc%E2%80%99s-health-security-measures