Interview: Aide de Lourdes Simental Oceguera

Operational Coordinator in Technology and Services in Food Safety.

Originally from Escuinapa, Sinaloa, an Oceanologist from the University of Baja California and PhD in Biological Sciences, Dr. Simental has participated in several national and international projects related to food safety, which has allowed her to become a of the few Mexicans who have worked directly with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

1. Could you tell us about your professional experience?

At the beginning of my thesis at the Institute of Oceanic Research I started working in a microbiology laboratory where I performed analysis to export molluscs, and without planning it was already working with safety. Later I was working for Cofepris in the Mexican Bivalve Molluscs Program, it was the first time I had contact with the FDA.

A year and a half later I applied for a doctorate at the University of Compostela, Spain, and during my stay there I had the opportunity to work in a biotechnology laboratory and later in a marine pollution tracking project. Upon returning to Mexico I had the opportunity to be part of the certification process of the mollusc laboratory of the Institute of Oceanology to the FDA.

When arriving in Culiacan, I worked in the State Public Health Laboratory, after a time as head in ​​Human Epidemiology; In that period was linked to Sinaloa tomato producers with an outbreak of salmonella in the United States and I was asked for support to solve the problem before the FDA. Subsequently, a project was presented to create the Center for Epidemiological Research in Sinaloa and we were working very hard with the Confederation of Agricultural Associations of the State of Sinaloa (CAADES); The State Coordination of Hydrological, Livestock, Aquaculture, and Fisheries (CEIHAPAP); With the Center for Research in Food and Development (CIAD) and other institutions.

A year later I joined the State Committee of Plant Protection of the State of Sinaloa (CESAVESIN) as Coordinator of Agro-Food Safety, that’s where I had the first contact with Eleven Rivers. It was also during this time when he presented the project to create what is the Regional Laboratory of Food Safety (LARIA).

There is always a time when cycles and goals are met: today I am the Operational Coordinator in Technology and Services in Food Safety (TECSIA).

2. When and for what purpose is TECSIA created?

TECSIA was born on March 13, 2013 exactly. A group of people wanted to start a business and invited me to be part of the development process.

The first case of success of TECSIA was precisely to advise the producers who were associated with the outbreak of mango contamination and then started working with Eleven Rivers where we participated as an independent advisory body.

So basically, TECSIA is a business in which a group of people wants to provide a service in the way it considers most appropriate, that is TECSIA.

3. On the other hand, what do you consider are the main factors that allow agricultural companies to stay on the international market?

First, there is quality, followed by this safety and third demand. However, if the quality does not come with innocuity, however beautiful the tomatoes or chilis come, it is worthless. Quality and safety go hand in hand.

4. Do you consider that the government policy is correct to intervene in certification processes in food safety?

Of course, it is necessary for someone to regulate and say, “here I am and this is what you must do”. But I consider that this is a very corruptible work, that if things were done as shown in the law anything else. The problem is that no one believes in the country or the laws, that’s the real problem.

On the other hand, we are very aware of the products we export to the United States, and what do we eat, who regulates it? We must produce healthy food for the Mexican market too, because if it does not become a vicious circle.

5. What do you consider to be the factors by which the FDA establishes a regulation in foods?

I guess the FDA is concerned about the health of its population. Is always been worried, but primarily she was regulating what the drugs issue was until she came to think of ‘why do people keep getting sick?’ And then they paid attention to the production of food.

Nowadays analyzes are carried out until the water because they began to realize that it is necessary to attack all those main sources that cause the diseases of the citizens. This is how they decide to create a series of laws to regulate food producers.

However, the FDA only has the capacity to monitor 1% of the imports of its country, because, although Mexico is one of the main countries that exports to the United States, we are not the only ones, that is why it was elaborated the Law of Modernization (FSMA), which is a law that will reduce the issue of revisions and especially attack the increase of Foodborne Diseases (ETAs).

6. How can Sinaloa growers adapt to this new law of the FDA?

I believe that applying an adequate safety system to the company is more than enough to be able to comply with what is FSMA and can remain present in the market. Safety plays a very important role in this law and not just that, now all the people involved in the production chain are responsible, here we are talking about producers, buyers, transporters, advisers; That is a fundamental part of the FSMA.

FSMA is not going to ask you to implement it from day to day, it goes in stages. The problem is that we know that the ‘wolf’ is coming and we all say, ‘here comes the wolf, here comes the wolf, here comes the wolf’, and when you least expect it the wolf is already here. Maybe many can say that the laws here do not matter, but there is not so and the buyer is the one who ultimately orders because what interests us is to sell.

7. Could you explain the main areas of opportunity for agricultural enterprises in relation to safety?

Primarily we must change the culture; And that this change of culture really applies: if a certification scheme asks a safety manager because you must make it expert. And you should land that new culture to what is the company, to have that love for the company and to be able to say, ‘I am producing as healthy as possible, I am going to do things correctly and what is wrong I am going to change it’, and if You are well to continue in that line.

We have companies with their year-to-year recognition and have never been involved in outbreaks of pollution, but we have the other side of the mirror, those companies that are easy to export for the price and I understand, because at the end of the day It is a business, but you must be aware and stop seeing the safety as a requirement and begin to recognize its true importance.

8. Anything you want to add?

We are very happy to work with CAADES, with Eleven Rivers, which is a project with which we have been involved since its inception. We are very fond of a label with a designation of origin and I believe that in the future that will generate market preference, so I think the proposal of the Sinaloa producers is very correct.