WHO roundtable discussion in Croatia

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not only a human health threat, but also a food safety issue. Antimicrobial use in food animals – for treatment, disease prevention or, in some countries outside the European Union, growth promotion – allows resistant bacteria and resistance genes to emerge and spread from food animals to humans through the food chain. To address this issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) organized a roundtable discussion on 10 November 2022, in close collaboration with the Andrija Stampar Teaching Institute of Public Health in Croatia.

“Nearly 5 million human deaths every year are associated with antimicrobial resistance. There is no time to wait, we need to ACT now. Codex guidelines and the code of practice enable coherent management of antimicrobial resistance along the food chain. The AMR Codex Texts (ACT) project supports the implementation of Codex AMR standards and provides a complete framework for decision-makers to address foodborne AMR - from surveillance to implementing good practices based on the risk analysis framework. This will lead to better containment and reduction of foodborne AMR in six countries in Asia and Latin America,“ said Myoengsin Choi, FAO Food Standards Officer.

The purpose of the discussion was to promote the concept of One Health as an effective approach to address antimicrobial resistance in the food chain.

“Food safety authorities play an important role in combatting AMR in the food chain. They need to lead work about policy and legal framework, food monitoring, laboratory capacity building, advocacy and education on safe food handling practices,” said Peter Sousa Hoejskov, Technical Officer for Food Safety, WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Different speakers provided an overview of the antimicrobial resistance situation in the European Region with a specific focus on antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens. They also showcased country examples of applying the One Health approach and discussed the role of food safety authorities in preventing and controlling antimicrobial resistance in the food chain.

Learn more

Codex compendium of texts on AMR

ACT project details

Photo credit ©WHO