Former PM backs position of heads of major international organizations.Ottawa—Governments need to make sure their pandemic control measures don't impede trade in food products, say the heads of three key international organizations.“Now is the time to show solidarity, act responsibly and adhere to our common goal of enhancing food security, food safety and nutrition and improving the general welfare of people around the world,” a joint statement from the three agency heads said.Roberto Azevedo of the World Trade Organization, Qu Dongyu of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization said, “Millions of people around the world depend on international trade for their food security and livelihoods.“As countries move to enact measures aiming to halt the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to minimize potential impacts on the food supply or unintended consequences on global trade and food security.”Former Prime Minister Paul Martin says national trade rules measures should not “disrupt the food supply chain. Such disruptions including hampering the movement of agricultural and food industry workers and extending border delays for food containers, result in the spoilage of perishables and increasing food waste. Food trade restrictions could also be linked to unjustified concerns on food safety.Interfering with the food supply hits the most vulnerable and food insecure populations hardest,” Martin said in a statement released by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.“Uncertainty about food availability can spark a wave of export restrictions, creating a shortage on the global market,” he said. “Such reactions can alter the balance between food supply and demand, resulting in price spikes and increased price volatility.“We learned from previous crises that such measures are particularly damaging for low-income, food-deficit countries and to the efforts of humanitarian organizations to procure food for those in desperate need.”The C.D. Howe Institute wants Canada to champion open international trade and remain an honest partner in the face of a worrying trend among G7 nations towards export restrictions on critical goods.The Institute's Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade said in a statement “that open international trade is essential to Canada-both in the immediate crisis and for the long-term. The working group observed a worrisome tide of export restrictions on critical goods internationally.“It is at times like this that more, not less, international cooperation becomes vital. In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, every effort must be made to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible, specially to avoid food shortage.Similarly, it is also critical that food producers and food workers at processing and retail level are protected to minimize the spread of the disease within this sector and maintain food supply chains. Consumers, in particular the most vulnerable, must continue to be able to access food within their communities under strict safety requirements,” the Institute said.“We must also ensure that information on food-related trade measures, levels of food production, consumption and stocks, as well as on food prices, is available to all in real time. This reduces uncertainty and allows producers, consumers and traders to make informed decisions. Above all, it helps contain 'panic buying' and the hoarding of food and other essential items.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.