Definition of Risk Assessment
- Defined as the procedure to identify, evaluate, and predict potential hazards.
- Includes designing mitigating measures to prevent or minimize risks to health and environment.
Role of Risk Assessment in Permit Issuance
- Forms the basis for deciding permits for regulated articles for food, feed, or processing under AO No. 8, s. 2002 and its amendment AO No. 22, s. 2007.
International Standards and Guidelines
- Requires incorporation of expert advice and guidelines from relevant global organizations and regulatory authorities.
- Aligns with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety principles, to which the Philippines is a party.
- Risk assessments are conducted per standards of international bodies such as Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO, and OECD.
Institutional Responsibilities
- The Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards, and Bureau of Animal Industry execute risk assessments per their mandates.
- These assessments follow the Codex Principles for Risk Analysis of Foods Derived from Modern Biotechnology (CAC/GL 44-2003) and the Codex Guideline on Food Safety Assessment of Recombinant-DNA Plants (CAC/GL 45-2003).
Policy Instructions and Mandate for Harmonization
- The Secretary of Agriculture adopts the referenced Codex principles and guidelines, integrating international food safety protocols into local regulation.
- Directs DA Policy and Planning, in coordination with biotech cores of relevant bureaus, to review and harmonize existing safety guidelines with adopted Codex Standards.
Implementation and Effectivity
- This Order takes effect thirty (30) days after its publication in a national newspaper of general circulation, ensuring wide dissemination and compliance.
Legal Authority
- Issued under the Consumer Act of the Philippines and Executive Order No. 292, series of 1987, conferring regulatory authority to guide food safety in biotechnology-derived products.