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The consumption of raw freshwater fish, a staple diet for millions of people in many parts of Southeast Asia, is coming under closer scrutiny after the detection of a foodborne hazard in several countries of the region, prompting a warning by food safety experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and others. An invasive disease, known as Group B Streptococcus (GBS) Streptococcus agalactiae linked to the...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today welcomed approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for five FAO-led projects in eight countries, totaling more than $46.6 million in funding.  The decision was made during the 60th GEF Council Meeting and the 30th Least Developed Countries Fund Council Meeting.   The latest projects will address critical environmental challenges - such as land degradation, biodiversity loss, unsustainable fishing and climate change...

Bold new thinking and decisive action will be needed to reshape and re-engineer food systems in Asia and the Pacific to make them more responsive, more dynamic and more equitable to meet the nutritional and other needs of the most populous -- yet most undernourished -- region of the world, a specially convened high-level meeting heard today.  The Asia-Pacific Regional Food Systems Dialogue was organized by six United Nations agencies in...

More than 600 million people, or 1 in 10, fall ill and 420 000 die each year from eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals. Most of the deaths are among the poor and young. Low and middle-income countries could save up to USD 95 billion annually with better food safety measures. When food is not safe, it is not food. It does not provide nourishment but...

Food loss and waste is a major issue in the Asia and Pacific region and coordinated, strategic actions are needed to address the impact it is having on climate change, food security, and the region’s overall economy. This was the conclusion of 18 Member countries during a virtual consultation convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) during a two-day series of discussions. According to FAO’s most...

As the world prepares for transformations to its food systems in order to feed a growing planet, nutritiously and in an environmentally sustainable way, maintaining biodiversity will be a critical element in that equation, a panel of experts meeting in the Asia-Pacific region heard today. A virtual consultative meeting was convened on the eve of International Day for Biological Diversity, considered a timely opportunity to share innovative ideas and consider new...

As the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic continues to claim lives, ruin the health and livelihoods of millions across the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in South Asia at present, a team of veterinary scientists, epidemiologists, sociologists and other One Health experts is beginning a two week session to map out a five year plan on how to predict, prevent and – if necessary – combat the next animal-to-human potential pandemic.  The multi-disciplinary team at FAO’s...

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry has welcomed international support to accelerate the country’s sustainable agriculture and rural development at a virtual workshop organized jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.   The Minister, Phet Phomphiphak, made the remarks during the Asia-Pacific region’s first inception workshop of FAO’s global Hand-in-Hand Initiative, a country owned and led initiative, coordinated by FAO, and now moving forward in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The workshop served as an opportunity for international partners from...

The 36th Session of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) has wrapped up the first of its three-day biennial session, convened in its first all-virtual format, amid ongoing uncertainties created within fishery-food supply chains caused by the global pandemic. In opening the Commission Session, the Director-General of the Department of Fisheries of the Royal Thai Government noted that the onset of COVID-19 had placed a tremendous impact on the world's socio-economic situation in...