The ISO/COPOLCO committee on consumer policy will be holding its annual meetings in Malta between tomorrow and Friday on the invitation of MCCAA. On Tuesday, there will be a workshop at the Grand Excelsior Hotel, Floriana, on the theme Innovating Food Products – How Can Standards Ensure Consumer Protection?

Consumer product safety has been at the centre of consumer policy for over four decades, during which we have seen an improvement as a result of increased consumer awareness and interest, standardisation and better regulatory controls.

New technologies provide clear benefits for product safety. However, at the same time, they also raise challenges in increasingly global, virtual and interconnected markets with complex supply chains.

Unsupported product claims, unreliable certification and sourcing are examples of such challenges leading to illicit trade. One specific area which the workshop will discuss is how these challenges and opportunities affect consumer products, focusing on food production and processing technologies.

Social Dialogue, Consumers and Civil Liberties Minsiter Helena Dalli will open the workshop.

A number of international guest speakers will be participating, such as Luke Upchurch, head of communications and stakeholder relations, Consumers International; Ruggiero Lensi, director of external relations, New Business and Innovation, UNI, Italy; Ruth Mackay, chair, OECD Working Party on Consumer Product Safety, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; Jean Holloran, director, food policy initiatives, Consumers Union, the US; and Christine Heemskeerk, chair, Trading Standards Institute, the UK.

Those interested in attending should contact the authority by e-mailing standards@mccaa.org.mt.