FAO farewells long serving officer
Mr Dirk Schulz left Samoa in December 2015 after serving the region for the past two decades in a variety of positions, including most recently as FAO Food Safety and Nutrition Officer for the Pacific Island Countries.
Mr Schulz’ duties as Food Safety and Nutrition Officer covered a wide range of technical areas focusing on food safety and quality, as well as nutrition in the developing states of the Pacific. In addition to this core role, he was also focal point for food processing, and coordinated the regional food security cluster during its establishment phase. “I really enjoyed the diversity of tasks to work on. That kept work for me interesting all the time”. Said Mr Schulz.
A key area was helping countries harmonise their food control systems based on the Codex Alimentarius or "Food Code", international food standards established by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO). ”During the past 20 years I’ve seen major changes in the region. In the mid-nineties hardly anyone knew what Codex was”, Mr Schulz said. “Now ten of the fourteen FAO member countries in the Pacific are members of Codex and have upgraded their food legislation using Codex standards. It is noteworthy that until fairly recently, many countries had food regulations dating back as far as the 1960s, and some countries had none at all. However with the tremendous increase in global food trade, it is essential to have modern food control systems in place to safeguard the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade”.
Mr Schulz noted that improved food standards across the region is ongoing work. “It continues to evolve along with developments in food technology and trade, and codex provides up to date globally agreed standards for food.
“One of the keys to achieving results is through building partnerships among stakeholders.” This includes partnerships with both the public and private sector, as well as the long standing partnership with our sister UN-agency the World Health Organization (WHO). The partnership between FAO and WHO facilitated a coordinated approach along the food chain from the agriculture producers to the food processors and traders all the way to the health sector.”
Looking back, Mr Schulz warmly recalls “It has been a professionally highly fulfilling occupation to serve the region, but the time has come to take this experience and apply it at global level. I wish to thank all those I have worked with across the region and will always remember the friendships we have established.” In his new role as food safety assessment officer, Mr Schulz will be based at FAO Head Quarters in Rome, Italy, and will continue to be available through his email [email protected].