The importance of food safety for sustaining inclusive, nutritious food and market systems

Effective Market Systems Development (MSD) catalyzes market systems to prioritize behaviors that benefit both business and societal interests, with food safety and nutrition being central. Historically, market systems in wealthier countries focused on efficiency and quality assurance, sometimes at the expense of nutrition, but MSD practitioners now recognize that projects must spark local, context-specific changes to emphasize food safety and nutrition from the outset. The CAST project’s inclusive MSD (iMSD) approach has harmonized Cambodia’s aquaculture sector through private-public sector collaborations, attracting influential firms and leading to sustainable food safety practices. This has positioned Cambodia to meet global aquaculture sanitary and phytosanitary standards and access higher-value markets. iMSD should continue to promote food safety interventions, prioritizing locally produced, fresh, and minimally processed foods to foster competitiveness for small-scale producers while combating the rise of ultra-processed foods.