STDF hybrid event during the WTO SPS Committee Week
6 November 2025
Watch the recording here
Presentation available here
On the margins of the WTO SPS Committee, this hybrid dialogue highlighted lessons and outcomes from two regional STDF projects on reducing cadmium levels in cocoa across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Background:
High levels of cadmium in cocoa beans in Latin America and the Caribbean pose a significant challenge for producers and exporters seeking to access international markets. In response, two regional projects – supported by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) – developed practical solutions focused on identifying and implementing mitigation strategies, promoting good agricultural practices, and strengthening institutional and regional capacity to comply with cadmium regulations. Engaging national government authorities, the private sector and research and academia, the projects fostered collaboration and knowledge sharing across the region, with targeted efforts in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to address country-specific needs. Thanks to a separate EU-funded SPS programme, Trinidad and Tobago also participated.
This event presented the key findings, results, and recommendations from an independent evaluation of the two STDF projects (STDF/PG/577 and STDF/PG/681) completed in 2025. It offered a platform to reflect on what worked, what didn’t and what can be improved to better support cocoa producers to meet international (Codex) standards and overcome cadmium-related trade barriers. Participants heard from project partners and stakeholders involved in cocoa production and trade, as well as other actors supporting the use of low cadmium and climate-relevant innovations to enhance the resilience of the cocoa sectors in the project countries. In addition to sharing key lessons, the event offered an opportunity to consider opportunities to further strengthen regional cooperation and roll out SPS innovations for safe trade.
Speakers:
- Presenter: Roxane Burstow, External STDF Project Evaluator
- Panellist: Mirjam Pulleman, Wageningen University, The Netherlands and Clima-LoCa Project Leader
- Panellist: Rommel Betancourt, AGROCALIDAD, Ecuador and STDF Developing Country Expert
- Moderator: Simon Padilla, STDF Secretariat
About the Speakers
Roxane Burstow
Roxane is a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) expert with over 18 years of experience in trade, investment, and economic development across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. She has led STDF evaluations on cocoa and voluntary third-party assurance (vTPA) initiatives, providing evidence on how SPS measures enhance food safety and inclusive trade. Her work brings an evidence-based perspective to improving competitiveness and market access in developing countries.
Dr. Mirjam Pulleman
Dr. Pulleman is a Senior Soil Scientist at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Wageningen University, based in Colombia. Her research focuses on how soil processes and management support sustainable agroecosystems and food safety. She works across disciplines and with smallholder farmers to promote regenerative practices that strengthen farming system resilience.
Rommel Betancourt
Rommel Betancourt serves as the General Coordinator for Food Safety at AGROCALIDAD, Ecuador, with over 25 years of experience in the public and private agri-food sectors. He led the creation of Ecuador’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standard and has played a key role in strengthening national food safety systems. Rommel also chairs the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) and is currently serving as an STDF Developing Country Expert.