The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are helping to measure global progress towards a more equitable future as part of the United Nations’ “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Food safety is integral to food security (SDG2), to health and wellbeing (SDG3) and to economic security (SDGs 1 and 8) – and yet of the 247 indicators established to measure SDG advances, there is none for food safety.

On the occasion of World Food Safety Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, in collaboration with organizers of Action Track 1 Food System Summit, has convened a webinar for 9 June to discuss the potential of an SDG indicator for stronger food safety accountabilities and reducing the health burden from unsafe food.

The webinar will be moderated by the director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Dr Francesco Branca, withOpening remarks by Dr Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General, Data, from Analytics and Delivery for Impact, WHO. A keynote speech will be delivered by Dr Lawrence Haddad, Chair of the Action Track 1 for UN Food System Summit and Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.

Papers from Dr Amare Ayalew, Program Manager, Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa, African Union Commission Headquarters, Ethiopia on a “Regional perspective in institutionalizing food safety tracking: The Africa Food Safety Index” and Dr Pawan Agarwal on “Existing national effort” will precede a panel discussion involving the following contributors: 

• Dr Pawan Agarwal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India
• Dr Fadi Naser Al-Natour, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, United Arab Emirates
• Dr Ali Badarneh, Department of Agri-Business, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
• Dr Luz de Regil, Multisectoral Actions in Food System, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO
• Dr Markus Lipp, Senior food safety officer, Food Systems and Food Safety Division, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Dr Annie Locas, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Government of Canada
• Dr Matthew Stone, Deputy Director-General, International Standards and Science, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE

This event is also part of WHO’s ongoing “Health Talks” series and will be available here: https://healthtalks.foodsystemsforhealth.org/talks/sdg-indicator-for-food-safety/

Register here: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_j17Ht6zLSRO73QhFvuHzNw

Date and time: 9 June, 13:00 CET (11:00 GMT)