Directors Desk This summer has been quite busy for the Food & Agriculture Export Alliance (FAEA), marked by workshops in Cambodia, Nigeria and Kenya, which have helped strengthen global partnerships and advance FAEA’s food and feed safety initiatives. FAEA’s efforts share common themes of modernization, collaboration and capacity building.     In Cambodia, Nigeria and Kenya, the FAEA partnered with local governments and international stakeholders to enhance fragmented regulatory frameworks and align national policies with global best practices. Through workshops, technical working groups and interministerial efforts, the alliance emphasized the importance of fostering public-private partnerships and building capacity to improve food and feed safety standards. These initiatives not only strengthen local food and feed safety systems but also integrate Cambodia, Nigeria and Kenya into the global food regulatory landscape, supporting market access and public health.     The FAEA remains dedicated to ensuring that its global partnerships continue to foster collaboration and drive progress across the international food regulatory environment. Gina Tumbarello, Executive Director   Save the Date: November Board Meeting FAEA’s next board meeting will take place on Nov. 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern  at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel , located at 202 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, Md. This meeting will be held in conjunction with this year’s United States Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC) conference.    Board members should have received an email with the calendar invitation, including the option to join remotely via Microsoft Teams. If you did not receive the invitation, please contact Gina Tumbarello at gtumbarello@faealliance.org  for assistance.    We look forward to your participation!  Enhancing Food Safety in Cambodia Through Collaboration In July, the FAEA, in partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), hosted a three-day workshop in Phnom Penh focused on modernizing Cambodia's food safety system. The "National Workshop on Enhancing Collaboration for Effective Implementation of the Cambodian Food Control System" brought together over 80 stakeholders from government, academia, industry and civil society to address key issues within Cambodia’s food safety policy. The FAEA is dedicated to transforming Cambodia's food safety framework by addressing regulatory fragmentation and enhancing coordination among government levels.     The workshop aligned with FAEA’s objectives of improving the regulatory framework, building agency capacity and fostering public-private partnerships while emphasizing international collaboration to better integrate Cambodia into the global food regulatory landscape. The workshop resulted in an action plan for modernization, including the formation of technical teams and interministerial collaboration. Through these efforts, the FAEA aims to streamline Cambodia’s fragmented food safety regulations and contribute to a unified, comprehensive policy. Read more>>   Advancing Food Safety in Nigeria Through Strategic Initiatives  In June, the FAEA, in collaboration with Nigerian and international partners, launched Technical Working Groups (TWGs) focused on risk-based regulations, food inspection, traceability and education. This initiative, aligned with Nigeria’s revised National Policy on Food Safety and Quality, aims to modernize the country's food safety systems. FAEA's involvement includes regulatory support, capacity building, stakeholder engagement and policy advocacy, all designed to enhance Nigeria's food safety standards, align with global best practices and facilitate market access for U.S. agricultural products. Read more>>   Kenya Workshop Emphasizes Private Sector’s Role in Addressing Food Safety Risks   In August, the FAEA, alongside the USDA, co-hosted a pivotal workshop in Kenya to develop a roadmap for industry capacity building in food safety. This workshop set the stage for strengthening food and feed safety standards in the region, focusing on Kenya’s private sector. The road map, a key outcome of the discussions, will guide the development of training programs in collaboration with local experts, with the goal of piloting these programs at a local university and other key institutions.     Principal Secretary Dr. Paul Ronoh of Kenya's State Department of Agriculture opened the workshop, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in building private sector capacity to address food safety risks. He expressed gratitude for the support from the USDA, FAEA and TradeMark Africa and highlighted that food safety is crucial for public health, food security, trade and sustainable development—key objectives of the workshop. Read more>>   USDA Report Highlights Opportunities for Enhancing Food and Feed Safety in Kenya: Alignment with FAEA Initiatives   The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service released a new report  on Kenya's dairy and beef sectors, highlighting critical recommendations to improve food and feed safety—an area where the FAEA is actively engaged. The report aligns with FAEA's ongoing efforts in Kenya to strengthen the country's food and feed safety framework through capacity building, stakeholder collaboration and strategic program development. It emphasizes improving feed quality by increasing access to high-quality forage crops and feed supplements, which complements FAEA’s initiatives to enhance feed safety practices. Members are encouraged to review the report to understand how these recommendations align with FAEA’s work and to explore further opportunities for engagement in Kenya.  Read more>>     New Blog Post: "Investing in Global Regulatory and Policy Advancements: A Pathway to Market Access"  Check out FAEA's latest blog post, “ Investing in Global Regulatory and Policy Advancements: A Pathway to Market Access , ” which explores how strategic investments in regulatory and policy frameworks can open doors to global markets, ensuring our industry remains competitive on the world stage.  Reminder for Accessing Members-only Website  A new login process has been created for the member’s only section of the FAEA website. FAEA member contacts should have received an email notifying them of a member account being created. Those that receive the email will need to follow the instructions in the email to create their own password.  If you did not get the email, you can sign up on the website  by clicking “Log In” at the top right-had corner of the FAEA website.  If you would like someone from your staff to also have access to the members-only section of the website, they can also sign up through the log-in page.    Update Your Contacts for FAEA  As we strive to enhance our communication and collaboration with FAEA members, we are requesting your assistance in providing additional contacts within your team who would benefit from direct updates and information from FAEA. To ensure that we are reaching the right individuals on specific topics, we kindly ask you to fill out the  form   for both you and any additional individuals you deem appropriate. Please indicate the topics or circumstances for which they should/can be contacted.    By expanding our network within your organization, we aim to deliver more targeted and relevant information, ensuring everyone receives the updates and insights that are most pertinent to their roles and interests. This will also enable the FAEA to leverage the expertise within member organizations, enhancing our ability to coordinate efforts and share information effectively.

In an interconnected world where trade drives economic growth, investing in global regulatory and policy advancements is crucial. For the agricultural sector, this means advocating for science- and risk-based approaches aligned with international standards to break down barriers to market access and spur foreign demand. However, these advancements must be driven from within, with local stakeholders understanding the importance of safe feed and food, and recognizing the bottom-line benefits to domestic producers, including profitability and expanded export opportunities. Kenya serves as a prime example of why market access must come first, as barriers—both tariff and non-tariff—continue to stifle potential for U.S. agricultural products.   Kenya, with its growing economy and expanding middle class, presents a promising market for U.S. agricultural products. Yet, significant barriers prevent these opportunities from being fully realized. Tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods, such as high duties on grains and other staples, make U.S. products less competitive in the Kenyan market. Beyond tariffs, non-tariff barriers, including Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures that often deviate from international standards, further restrict market access.   These barriers illustrate a critical point: it’s impossible to create demand for a product if it can’t enter the market in the first place. Even with growing interest in U.S. products among Kenyan consumers and businesses, the lack of market access remains a formidable obstacle. The U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP), while a step in the right direction, does not fully address these fundamental barriers.   The United States has proposed text under STIP that includes provisions aimed at enhancing agricultural market access, transparency and regulatory certainty. This includes the proposed chapter on good regulatory practices (GRPs), which covers rules for rule-making across the full regulatory life-cycle at the central level of government. The GRP text aims to provide greater transparency about regulatory processes in both the United States and Kenya, recognizing that early information about planned regulatory actions through the use of regulatory agendas allows interested persons to engage with regulatory authorities, thus providing more time to prepare to comply. Additionally, the GRP text acknowledges the role of expert advisors in providing guidance on planned regulatory actions as a complement to public consultations, not a substitute. It details transparency requirements related to the functioning and outputs of these advisors, emphasizing that stakeholder input remains a critical component of the regulatory process. However, while these provisions are promising in theory, they fall short in supporting the practical application, implementation and enforcement needed to make meaningful changes on the ground.   Kenya has taken a significant step towards improving food and feed safety through its pending Feed Safety Control Co-ordination Bill. This marks the Kenyan government’s commitment to enhancing public health, food and feed safety, and investing in the future sustainability of its agricultural production sectors. However, once this law is passed, the work truly begins with their implementation. The Kenyan government must identify and mobilize its capabilities and expertise to effectively enact the new bill. This includes reviewing its current regulatory structure, competent authorities, mandates and regulations, and revising them to align with the new bill and international standards.   Guidance must also be provided to industry on the new requirements and the pathways to compliance. Kenyan producers will need support to build their capacity for compliance, and the government must invest in training inspectors to monitor adherence to the new standards. The success of these initiatives will depend heavily on Kenya’s ability to build and sustain this capacity internally, ensuring that local industry and regulators can meet these heightened expectations.   Moreover, concerns remain about how the Kenyan government will support both the public and private sectors in this transition, especially given the country’s ongoing challenges with public debt and fiscal sustainability. Addressing these financial constraints while committing to robust regulatory reforms will be critical. Kenya’s economic resilience and ability to invest in necessary regulatory improvements without exacerbating its debt situation will require careful balancing and strategic prioritization.   Supporting capacity-building initiatives within Kenya is crucial to realizing the full potential of U.S. agriculture ambitions and Kenya's regulatory reforms. By enhancing local understanding of the value of safe feed and food, and demonstrating the direct impact on profitability and market expansion, a regulatory environment can be fostered that benefits both domestic growth and international trade. For Kenyan producers, embracing science-based standards and aligning with international best practices not only protects consumers but also positions their products competitively in global markets, including potential export destinations.   Sustainable regulatory improvement must come from within. Externally proposed changes, even with the best intentions, are unlikely to be effective or enduring without local ownership and leadership in the reform process. A sustainable approach ensures that these systems are adaptable to Kenya’s specific conditions, such as resource constraints, small-scale production, and the need for inclusivity, including the involvement of women and small producers in the agricultural sector. This internal capacity-building supports the development of policies and regulations that are not only aligned with international standards but also rooted in local realities, making them more effective and lasting.   The journey to unlocking Kenya’s market potential for U.S. agricultural products must begin with a commitment to addressing the existing barriers to market access through practical support for the application, implementation and enforcement of aligned regulations. By investing in local capacity and fostering sustainable regulatory frameworks, we can create a more predictable and equitable trading environment where both Kenyan and U.S. producers can thrive. Market access must come first, and through strategic investments in capacity building, regulatory alignment and meaningful enforcement, we can turn barriers into bridges for U.S. agriculture and its trading partners.