Mexico, Canada to Strengthen Food Safety Systems

Alberto Pineda, Vice President of the Board of Directors Unión de Crédito del Soconusco and an MBN Expert Contributor, addressed Tapachula’s agricultural challenges and opportunities. Located in the Soconusco region in Chiapas, Tapachula is a "tractor" municipality that focuses on financial, logistics, food and beverages, hospitality and healthcare services. Bordering the Mesoamerican Corridor that begins with Guatemala, Tapachula is a natural point of entry into Mexico. From 2020, the municipality noticed immigrant caravans passing through Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in their way to the region, which has also received transcontinental immigrants from Congo, Siria and India, and others from Haiti and Cuba.

The region also faced significant problems because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Read about the solutions and actions the municipality has undertaken.

Interested in more? Here are the week's major headlines in Agribusiness!

• Pablo Ricaud Arriola, President of Rising Farms and an MBN Startup Contributor, talked about Agtech versus other technologies. Unlike other businesses, agriculture is particularly attuned to the realm of physics and nature, explains Arriola, which differentiates Agtech from other technological sectors. The main pillars where technology can be applied in agriculture are in the management of water, sun, nutrition and labor. 

• Tiago Arantes, General Director of MSD Animal Health in Mexico, discussed with MBN the company’s 'Integral Health' approach to animal health, addressing topics such as the approach to vaccination and treatment. Arantes also discussed the company’s leadership initiatives and MSD's goal to become a global leader in animal vaccines. 

• Mexico and Canada exchanged experiences in the agriculture sector to strengthen food safety systems. Both countries have residue monitoring programs and first-rate laboratories to identify and trace physical, chemical and bacteriological contaminants. As world food trade has grown at unprecedented rates, measures must be strengthened to prevent an increase in the cases of food-borne illnesses (FAD).