In celebration of this year’s World Food Safety Day, Codex has published a “case study” showing how one country used Codex texts to resolve a food safety outbreak.

In line with this year’s World Food Safety Day theme, “food safety: prepare for the unexpected,” the story recounts how Honduras worked with the FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) and food safety authorities in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to identify the source of an outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup in galia melons. The outbreak affected over 300 people across Europe, and Honduras referred to the then-draft Guidelines on the Management of Biological Foodborne Outbreaks (CXG 96-2022) for guidance on how to manage the emergency situation. Use of that document and the rapid exchange of information and data sharing that took place between the United Kingdom and Honduras meant the issue was resolved satisfactorily, and Honduras was able to put in place measures to ensure a similar incident would not arise again.

Responding to the lessons learned that Honduras identified for the story, Sarah Cahill, Senior Food Standards Officer at the Codex Alimentarius Secretariat said: “The story from Honduras is an excellent example of the important role Codex standards can have in guiding national authorities’ management of food safety matters. The  Codex Guidelines on the Management of Biological Foodborne Outbreaks provides detailed point-by-point advice, first on how to prepare for and then on how to manage such unexpected events.”

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World Food Safety Day website
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