Exotic foods take centre stage in Brussels
As
part of a strategy to contribute to the decisions made over the
revision of the Novel Foods Regulation (NFR), Andean countries
coordinated their efforts by hosting a dégustation event of
exotic foods at the European Commission's Directorate-General for
Agriculture and Rural Development. The food exhibit was held during
the event "Fruits and other exotic products of the Andean Community
(CAN)
and quality products from the European Union".
The
idea behind this initiative was to give the Commission the
opportunity to taste for themselves traditional foods derived from
the rich biodiversity that
developing countries have to offer. The event demonstrated the fact
that these foods, currently hindered through non-tariff trade
barriers like the NFR, are innocuous and fit for human
consumption.
   
At
present, the NFR considers any foods introduced to the European
market since 1997 as novel, thus exporters have to undergo
lengthy and costly processes to gain to access the European market
for such natural products. As the NFR is currently under revision,
UNCTAD BioTrade has been working closely with country programmes to
create a platform for discussions on the NFR, carrying out trade
impact assessments, and facilitating communication so that these
countries can put their concerns before the
Commission.
The
food-tasting occasion were attended by those within the Commission,
as well as high-level members of the Directorate-General of Trade,
Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG Sanco) and
the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. It
targeted those that take the important decisions on European
legislation, promoting the quality and trade potential of these
natural ingredients in European markets.
Ecuador showcased national fruits, such as borojó, cocona,
guanábana, taxo, papayas, pitahaya, carambola, banano, oritos, arazá
(jam) guayaba, pechiche (jam), babaco and
naranjillas. Shrimps were also served, with exotic sauces made
from guanábana and guava juice.
Peru promoted natural ingredients such as lúcuma, maca,
purple corn, camu camu, cat's claw and algarrobina.
Special emphasis was placed on lúcuma, which is used as a
primary ingredient in desserts and participants got to taste the
sweet Suspiro a la Limeña, and the tradicional pico sour
and mazamorra morada.
This event is one example of how Andean countries, motivated by
their BioTrade national programmes, are creating innovative and
practical strategies to place this issue at the forefront of the
Commission. The success of these events led the Director of
International Affairs of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and
Rural Development, Mr. Aldo Longo, to propose another such event for
2007.
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