Two FAO and WHO committees have had their local meetings recently with issues specific to each region discussed.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific met in Nadi, Fiji, in February.
Key food safety and quality issues affecting the region include foodborne illness caused by microbial pathogens, particularly in raw or undercooked seafood and poultry products; food fraud and adulteration; contaminants in food from multiple sources; and food labeling and allergens. Vulnerability to the effects of climate change, and the impact of natural disasters on agriculture, and the safety of food supplies were also noted as important issues.
Regional challenges were identified as imports non-compliant with national food safety rules, ensuring seafood safety, and regulatory gaps. There were some safety concerns related to indigenous foods for which there might be limited regulation on traditional food preservation methods.
Emerging issues expected to have an impact on food safety in the next five to 10 years were limited capacity to manage food regulatory systems; new food production systems and innovative technologies; increased foodborne disease transmission; and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
To address these issues, priority areas were identified, such as strengthening various aspects of national food control systems, preparedness and response capacities to food safety incidents, and improving food consumption data collection and sharing.
Members expressed concern about the decline in financial commitment from donors to the FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund (CTF). Some had successfully applied for support from CTF but had been informed that the start of projects were on hold until sufficient resources became available.
New work proposals included a regional standard for galip nut and one for breadfruit flour. Efforts also began on developing a code of practice on traditional underground oven cooking in the South West Pacific.
African view
The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Africa session was held in Kampala, Uganda in January.
Emerging issues highlighted in previous sessions included antimicrobial resistance, aflatoxins, pesticide residues, and weak food control systems.
Attendees noted the need to address issues such as food fraud, novel contaminants affecting the environment and food safety such as microplastics, as well as current topics like water for irrigating crops.
They also called for better collaboration and exchange of information between members of the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) in the event of a food safety alert. WHO said efforts would be made to reactivate the INFOSAN in Africa group, which was created as a platform to facilitate information exchange between INFOSAN members in the region.
The committee recognized the importance of the FAO/WHO food control system assessment tool and highlighted the need for intensified support to small developing countries in strengthening their control systems.
Senegal introduced a proposal to develop a regional standard for braised or boiled salted and unsalted dried fish, also known as ketiakh. Other new work was a standard related to precooked cereal vegetable granules commonly known as tiacry.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)