Singapore- Students of the Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) School of Public Policy (National University of Singapore) initiated a consensus-colloquium on Securing Food in ASEAN; Food Security in the World on April 15-17, 2010. The colloquium brought together various stakeholders, from high level ministers of the ASEAN to ASEAN member-government representatives, private sector, LKY students and a few representatives from civil society. The organizers hoped that participants at least would “learn to agree to reject starvation, and on a vision of the world without hunger.”

Aurora A. Regalado represented the East Asia Rice Working Group (EARWG)/ Southeast Asian Council for Food Security and Fair Trade (SEACON) at the colloquium. Two other CSOs were also represented, namely the Rural Development Working Group (RDWG) by Atty. Elpidio Peria and the Rice Watch and Action Network by Hazel Tanchuling.

GUANGZHOU: Food safety risks remain in Guangdong province, due to environmental pollution and man-made reasons, with vegetables and tea being highly risky in terms of pesticide residue last year.

A total of 21,352 tests were carried out in Guangdong last year in 16 food categories for 90 possible pollutants and seven pathogenic bacteria, according to a report jointly released yesterday by six provincial government departments, including health, agriculture, industry and commerce, and food and drug supervision.