Opening Remark, Food Safety Forum 2019

Opening Speech

Food Safety Forum, Producers Assembly

28th September, 2019

Diamond Jubilee Hall, University of Yangon

Mingalabar and good morning, everyone.

Let me begin by warmly welcoming you all to the Food Safety Forum 2019 – Producers Assembly. I am deeply honored to stand before more than 500 participants gathered here today—from every corner of Myanmar’s food system and beyond.

We are privileged to be joined by the Director General of the Food and Drug Administration, Members of Parliament, representatives from embassies, donor agencies, chambers of commerce, NGOs, INGOs, and so many government departments including Yangon City Development Committee. To our private sector food producers, our regulators, and our development partners—thank you all for being here.

This event is convened by Myanmar Innovative Life Sciences (MILS) in partnership with Myanmar Consumer Union (MCU) and the Food Science and Technology Association (FoSTA) as co-organizers. I want to extend my gratitude to our supporting organizations and companies —Mekong Institute, City Mart Holding Limited, and Metro Wholesale—and our consultation partner, MOSS, whose expertise was instrumental in mapping the current food safety ecosystem in Myanmar.

This forum is not just another event. It is a platform for tri-sector dialogue—bringing together regulatory bodies, private enterprises, and development partners under one roof. It’s an assembly for producers—who feed our communities, power our economies, and carry the future of Myanmar on their shoulders.

In this time of bold democratic transition, we must recognize what Myanmar can become. Our food sector holds enormous potential. But let’s also be honest: it is being held back.

At the heart of this challenge is a critical gap: food safety.

Without food safety, we cannot build consumer trust, cannot access higher-value markets, cannot protect public health, and cannot sustain growth. And after years of working closely with food producers across the country, I believe there are two things we urgently lack:

One — Technology.

Two — Know-how.

Technology that is appropriate, scalable, and accessible. Know-how that bridges international standards and our local realities. These are not luxuries—they are necessities.

And yet, even beyond these gaps, we must recognize something deeper: we are at the very beginning of Myanmar’s food safety journey.

Today, stakeholder collaboration is still limited. Cross-sector coordination is more of an aspiration than a habit. Many producers and consumers are still unaware of the full implications of food safety. That’s why awareness-raising and education must be our first steps—laying the foundation for more informed decisions, better practices, and public trust.

But awareness alone will not be enough. This journey will also require serious investment—both public and private. Investment in infrastructure. In training. In incentives. And especially in technical capacity. Laboratories, testing systems, traceability platforms—these are not side elements, they are central pillars for building a functioning food safety system.

If you step outside this hall, you will see a large food safety system map—a product of weeks of work and consultation. This chart visualizes the stakeholders, flows, and fault lines in Myanmar’s food safety landscape. I encourage every one of you to take a moment during today’s forum to walk over, reflect on it, and ask:

Where do I stand in this system?

How can I help improve it?

This map is not just a diagnostic. It is an invitation—to co-create a better, safer, and more coordinated future.

Finally, I want to thank each of you—especially our private sector producers. Your turnout today has far exceeded our expectations. We anticipated a few hundred. We now have over 500 participants under this roof.

This is overwhelming—but also inspiring. It shows that food safety is no longer a side topic. It is front and center. And it tells me that Myanmar’s producers are ready—not just to comply with standards, but to lead the transformation.

We know this journey will be long, and the road ahead uncertain. But we also know this: today marks a beginning. For the first time, through this forum, MILS and our partners are spearheading a truly collective movement for food safety in Myanmar.

Let this be a turning point. A moment when diverse stakeholders began to listen, to learn, and to work together. A moment when we said: Myanmar’s food system deserves better—and we are ready to make it better.

Let’s build that transformation—together.

Thank you.

END OF SPEECH