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| Sunday, 17 October 2004 |
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Working towards food safety Food safety regulators from more than 100 countries met in Bangkok in global effort to cut down more than two billion cases of food-borne illness.
During the three days, participants worked to develop a common understanding on how to strengthen food safety systems to better address increasingly complex foodborne threats to public health and safe food supplies. Each year, unsafe food is responsible for illness in at least two billion people, and can result in death. While some countries have made major strides in controlling the food-borne disease burden, globally this number is growing. Threats to the food we eat can come from where crops are grown or animals are raised, all the way up the chain to the way we prepare and cook it. While large food-borne outbreaks often receive the most public attention, the majority of the food-borne disease burden is linked to the many single cases occurring in all countries of the world. For example, some 700 000 people die every year in Asia alone due to individual cases of food- and water-borne disease. Many more suffer long-term debilitation. "The burden of food-borne disease is huge. Better organisation and communication between authorities along the entire food chain and with consumers could significantly reduce it, making food safer for consumers around the world," said WHO Assistant Director-General Dr Kerstin Leitner. Hartwig de Haen, FAO Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Department, said: "There are just too many threats to the safety of the world's food supply, from the farmer's field to the consumer's table. Food safety regulators of the world need to intensify their collaboration to lessen the burden caused by food-borne diseases. The Bangkok meeting sought to strengthen efforts to implement more effective food control systems in all countries so as to better protect consumer health as well as minimise costs to farmers, food processors and retailers." The threats to food come from many sources: primary production, improper handling and storage, improper preparation and cooking in the home or in other places where food is consumed. Too often, these threats - their origins, their extent and their gravity - and the consequences on human health are inadequately addressed and managed by the various national and international authorities responsible for monitoring and regulating food production. The first Global Meeting of Food Safety Regulators, which took place in Marrakech, Morocco, in January 2002, and attended by representatives from 110 countries, laid the foundation for improved cooperation in the global effort to protect the quality and safety of the world's food supply. Lowering the burden of food-borne diseases and making food safer and more fit for local and international trade depends on improving food control systems and establishing effective surveillance mechanisms. The Bangkok Forum addressed these areas of concern. In-depth discussions focused on defining the responsibilities and tasks of different groups involved in assuring food safety and on the role of the food industry and trade organisations in applying food quality and safety assurance systems. The implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to improve food safety is one example. Other areas regarding food control systems include developing effective import and export controls and certification mechanisms. Epidemiological surveillance and rapid alert systems to more effectively track and prevent the spread of food-borne diseases will also need to be created. The Forum saw the launch of several major initiatives led by FAO and WHO. One such specific initiative is a new global network of all food safety authorities, which has received major interest from Member States. So far, 102 countries have registered as participants in the network. The network (INFOSAN) will improve the ability of countries and authorities to respond jointly to food related emergencies. An electronic portal to provide a single access point for authorised official international and national information across the sectors of food, animal and plant health was also unveiled in Bangkok. The 2nd Global Forum is testimony to the importance which national and international authorities are according to food quality and safety. In Paris in July 2004, five international organisations - the World Bank, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Trade Organisation in addition to FAO and WHO - launched the Standard Trade Development Facility, which will help developing countries meet international food standards. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Faced with an increasing global burden of food-borne disease, more than
300 food safety regulators from over 100 countries attended the 2nd Global
Forum of Food Safety Regulators from October 12 to 14. The largest-ever
meeting of its kind, the Forum brought together regulators from the
health, agriculture and trade sectors.
