Jakarta, May 14 -- Representatives and food safety regulators from APEC member economies are strengthening cooperation to reduce food safety risks and trade barriers through the harmonization of standards.

This strengthening of cooperation took place at a meeting of the Food Safety Cooperation Forum in Shanghai on Tuesday, according to an APEC statement released Thursday.

"Food safety has a direct daily impact on people's lives, and standards and conformity assessments are the invisible infrastructure that allows for this safety and builds consumer trust across borders," said Li Pengcheng, Chair of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance.

He highlighted the role of digital tools, including electronic certificate verificatio...