The APEC food system

Many economies in the Pacific region have long recognized food security as a fundamental challenge. At the 1995 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Osaka, Japan, participants agreed that agriculture should be included within the comprehensive trade liberalization commitments APEC economies had made. It then became important to think systematically about how trade in food could supplement domestic production to assure abundant, affordable, and environmentally sustainable food supplies for APEC's growing population. The answer became what is now called the APEC Food System. The APEC food challenge has several dimensions. Regional food consumption is projected to double in a generation. Rising incomes across the region are shifting eating patterns toward a more resource-intensive diet, especially more meat, milk, eggs, fruits, and vegetables.