Alter Trade Corp. will host an international food safety summit at Nature's Village Resort Hotel in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, November 6 to 10.

The conference on the theme “Food Sovereignty without Borders”, will gather ATC's local and international partners in the People-to-People Trade, Fair Trade, and Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming movements, a press release from Alter Trade said yesterday.

Food producers, consumers and marketing and financing support organizations from France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Palestine and Timor Lesti will inter-act with ATC's partner organizations from all over the country to tackle issues on food sovereignty.

“Food sovereignty means food sufficiency and food safety,” ATC president Gilda Caduya said.

“Food sufficiency and food safety exist only when all our people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets our dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life,” she also said.

The general assembly of the Asian People's Fund for Mutual Benefit will kick off the summit Friday. Born from People to People Trade, the Japan-based APF is an alternative form of solidarity to support the social business of the grassroots communities, the press release said.

The International Solidarity Conference in Saturday will feature speakers on food safety from both the producers and consumers points of view.

Caduya will tackle “Negros Food Crisis and People's Initiatives” while TomoyaInyaku, Policy Director of Alter Trade Japan, will talk on “Global Food Crisis: Building Agro-Eco Resiliency”.

MASIPAG Executive Director Dr. Chito Medina will deliver a special report on “BT Corn and Food Production in the Philippines”.

South Cotabato Provincial Board Member Romulo Solivio will discuss “Multi-National Corporations' Farming Practices in Mindanao and People's Response” and Dr. Romeo Quijano will report on “The Human and Environmental Costs of Industrial Agriculture”. Quijano is the Executive Director of Pesticide Action Network Philippines and a member of the PAN Asia Pacific Steering Committee.

Sheila Ferolino, Vice-President of Alter Trade Employees Credit Cooperative, will talk on “Pioneering Consumers' Movement for Food Safety”.

The delegates will visit the farms of ATC's partner-producers in Cabacungan, La Castellana on Sunday and in Patag, Silay City and Tison, Victorias City on November 10.

Local balangon banana growers and Japanese consumers and marketing support groups will also hold a summit on November 9.

Those who wish for more information on the summit, may contact Elizabeth Mondejar, ATC Business Operations Manager, at telephone number 441-0051, the press release said.*

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