Legislation based on internationalstandards and harmonized between trade partners facilitatestrade and enables products from developing countries to becompetitive in the international market. Countries lookingto export to the EU should aim to harmonize legislation withEU rules. If exporting to EU markets is not a priority,countries should follow requirements of the WTO SPSagreement and thus ensure that their products can accessmarkets of all WTO member states. Both the EU and WTOlegislative models for food safety require a risk-basedapproach to food safety controls, prioritizing funds andactivity on the most risky areas. Reforms in this areashould be primarily focused on ensuring food safety,although ensuring that consumers are receiving the qualityof food that they expect is also a consideration. Whenplanning legislative reform, the burden on business shouldbe carefully considered, and consultation with the businesscommunity is strongly recommended to obtain a goodunderstanding of the business perspective. Public awarenesson the need for reforms can be important and it is essentialto outline the benefits of improved food safety legislationto consumers and their representative bodies as they canhelp to support reforms and sustain their results.
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