In March 2024 in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, as part of the Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project plan to improve surveillance capacities in the country, a workshop was held in coordination with the country’s National Laboratories Unit (UNALAB) of the National Agricultural Health and Food Safety Service (SENASAG). Twelve professional bacteriologists working in the area of food safety and animal health from UNALAB Santa Cruz and UNALAB Cochabamba laboratories participated in the workshop, together [...]

On 8 March 2024, a monitoring workshop took place in Bogota, Colombia, to evaluate progress on addressing the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the food and agriculture sectors in the country.  The meeting was organized as part of the FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project. Attendees were assessing improvements made since the start of the ACT project in 2021, and on the specific commitments made to combat the AMR threat. The [...]

The "Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT)" project leveraged World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2023 as an opportunity to highlight the key role of prevention in tackling the issue of drug-resistant infections transmitted through food. During WAAW 2023 the ACT project supported the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and foster collaboration with stakeholders. Bolivia and Colombia prioritized strengthening inter-institutional work In coordination with the government agencies, FAO [...]

Global experts convened to address the critical issue of reducing foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the side event on 1 December 2023, as part of the 46th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC46) at FAO headquarters, Rome.   The panelists discussed how Codex standards help to tackle foodborne AMR, the medically important antimicrobial list by the World Health Organization (WHO), and tools for risk communication about antimicrobial use in plants/crops. Furthermore, participants gained insights into the International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring [...]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new brochure "How can Codex standards help tackle foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?" which explains how Codex standards help tackle foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This new reference document describes the three core texts Codex has developed specifically on foodborne AMR: The Guidelines for Risk Analysis of Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (CXG 77-2011) enable countries to identify issues specific to their own contexts, establish priorities and implement targeted interventions. The Guidelines on the [...]

Six new factsheets were recently published to promote how the “Action to support implementation of Codex AMR (ACT)” project countries work to address foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). “Managing AMR poses a significant challenge for the world. One way AMR can spread to humans is through food, known as foodborne AMR. Unfortunately, every day, unsafe food causes illnesses and deaths. We work globally and locally to address foodborne AMR through the implementation of Codex AMR texts, and these factsheets provide a snapshot [...]

World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) 2023, 18 - 24 November, a global initiative to raise awareness and encourage action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens, is starting today.  Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a threat to humans, animals, plants, and the environment, and it affects everyone. The theme for WAAW 2023, maintained from 2022 is: "Preventing antimicrobial resistance together". The theme emphasizes the need for a One Health approach involving multiple sectors to preserve the efficacy of antimicrobials. Addressing AMR requires collective efforts [...]

Cambodia brought farmers, veterinarians, abattoir workers, agro-chemical and fertilizer vendors, government officials, and other experts together to discuss how to reduce antimicrobial growth promotion use in poultry farms. Convened as a co-creation workshop, the event took place in Tramkak, Takeo province, on 7-8 September 2023. “We used this innovative co-creation approach, where public and private sector stakeholders met face-to-face to determine the next steps, we could take together to solve the use of antimicrobials in poultry farms. This workshop helped to [...]

More than 450 participants in person and online attended the 3rd Global Conference on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), hosted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea on 12 and 13 September 2023 in Seoul. Stakeholders from the food industry, academia and research, regulatory authorities, and international organizations discussed One Health approaches to tackle foodborne AMR. “This conference is an excellent opportunity to share our knowledge and experience in tackling foodborne AMR”, said Dr Yu-Kyoung [...]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global threat of increasing concern to human and animal health. It also has implications for both food safety and food security and the economic well-being of millions of farming households. Food plays an important role in the development and spread of AMR.  Among the ongoing initiatives to tackle this issue, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea is hosting the 3rd Global Conference on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance on 12 and 13 September 2023. The conference will be also streamed [...]