Singapore and France sign MOU to improve cooperation on food safety

Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing welcoming French minister delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester.- CHAN CHUN SING/FACEBOOK

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore and France are stepping up bilateral cooperation to improve food safety standards.

Both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Monday (Dec 14) to promote scientific and technical partnership in food safety testing and research, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

Signed by chief executive officer of SFA Lim Kok Thai and director general of French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), the MOU affirmed the commitment by Singapore and France to consumer health by strengthening the exchange of knowledge, research cooperation and expert assessments.

Potential areas of collaboration will include risk assessment of chemical and microbiological food safety hazards, safety assessments of novel foods and emerging food safety risks.

The MOU signing was witnessed by senior minister of state for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor and the French minister delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said he met Riester earlier today and they "discussed opportunities to further enhance our bilateral economic relations".

This includes greater collaboration in areas such as sustainability, biomedical services, advanced manufacturing and enhancing the logistics network in both countries.

"Singapore and France are also keen to strengthen our digital economy cooperation, such as through a Digital Economy Agreement," he added. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network