Connecting Food Safety Authorities to Reduce Foodborne Risks

EMPRES Food Safety engages with the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), which alerts its members of imminent food safety threats based on credible indicators. This process includes incident scanning, identification and verification. EMPRES Food Safety undertakes horizon scanning to detect and analyze early, and possibly low-key, signals that could suggest a food safety threat at the food production and processing levels.

INFOSAN

The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) is a global network of national food safety authorities, managed jointly by FAO and WHO.

INFOSAN aims to:

• Promote the rapid exchange of information during food safety related events
• Share information on important food safety related issues of global interest
• Promote partnerships and collaboration between countries, and between networks
• Help countries strengthen their capacity to manage food safety emergencies

FAO INFOSAN Focal Point
Food Safety and Quality Unit (AGFF)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome ITALY
E-mail: [email protected]

Horizon Scanning

Strong partnerships and information sharing are essential for effectively conducting horizon scanning for food safety threats. EMPRES Food Safety utilizes the experiences of FAO’s Global information and early warning system on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS), Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information Systems (FIVIMS) and other horizon scanning efforts of FAO to improve its horizon scanning approach and methods.

EMPRES Food Safety will develop an international network to gather information and intelligence to conduct horizon scanning, including other FAO units and decentralized offices, other UN agencies, national and regional government bodies, universities, research institutes and related groups. EMPRES Animal Health, EMPRES Plant Protection, and other relevant FAO units such as Fisheries and Land and Water will be included in the network, as well as the other international agencies including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OIE, WHO, the World Food Programme (WFP), and WTO.