Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted an explanation and discussion of plans to propose a new, food safety, indicator for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a webinar that marked World Food Safety Day, and which contributed to WHO’s ongoing Health Talks series.

Dr Branca was joined by his colleague at WHO, Dr Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General, Data, from Analytics and Delivery for Impact, and the Chair of the Action Track 1 for UN Food Systems Summit and Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Dr Lawrence Haddad.

They explained that, since food safety is an integral part of food security, it is appropriate to have an SDG indicator to help countries aim at and achieve improved health and food security, through improved food safety. Dr Branca outlined the three targets and related indicators that are being proposed: 

1. A 40% reduction in foodborne diarrhoeal disease indicated via an incidence estimate per 100 000 
2. 100% of countries improve their multisectoral collaboration mechanisms, indicated by an improved average score according to the International Health Regulations (2005) Monitoring and Evaluation framework of at least 4 
3. An improving average capacity score for national foodborne disease surveillance from “No to limited capacity” to at least “developed to demonstrated capacity” – indicated by the existence of national surveillance capacities on foodborne disease and food contamination.

a need for a collaborative approach

These targets are achievable, they can “make a good case for an SDG indicator for food safety” Dr Branca said. But as Dr Asma made clear, there is a need for a plan to have these targets and indicators introduced into the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda at the 2025 review of targets and indicators. There is a need for a collaborative approach and a multisectoral conversation. She said they must make a clear case for this proposal. The rationale, the availability of the requisite data in the majority of the countries and the partnerships necessary must all be made evident.

Dr Haddad, as Chair of Action Track 1, said he has been calling for a food safety indicator for a long time. The Food Systems Summit is planned for the 3^rd week of September and is seen as a milestone on the road to achieving the SDGs: the summit will result in the development of food system transformation pathways for achieving the SDGs. There are other “Food Safety Gamechangers” emerging and being developed, including: 

1. Motivate and measure progress on food safety through a Global Food Safety Indicator (which would be an SDG indicator)
2. Promote foodborne disease surveillance, a Food Safety Index and risk assessment
3. Promote Food Safety solutions and toolkits (inspired by the global COVUD response and quick testing capabilities developed)
4. Global network for Food Safety Innovation and Capacity Building 

There was a panel discussion in which contributors agreed that the importance of food safety is such that an SDG indicator would greatly benefit the international community. There were words of caution, however. Dr Markus Lipp, Senior Food Safety Officer, Food Systems and Food Safety Division, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said it is an exciting prospect but food safety is complex and compromises as to what exactly such an indicator would determine will need to be made. What will those be? And would the exclusive focus on diarrhoeal disease result in the neglect of those foodborne illnesses that are not enteric and those that have longer term consequences? Dr Fadi Naser Al-Natour, from the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority suggested there might be language and culture barriers, amongst others, that would need to be overcome.

WHO’s Foodborne Disease Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG), which will meet in July 2021, has as part of its mandate to update the Foodborne diseases estimates for 2025 and to assesses possible indicators for Global Monitoring. This session will certainly inform their discussions and future partnerships towards stronger global accountability in food safety.

Watch the webinar here: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/06/09/default-calendar/webinar-a-sdg-indicator-for-food-safety