FAO has now issued a brochure that describes its work on food safety. Safe food for everyone – FAO’s work on food safety: science, standards and good practices is available in two formats (pdf and digital) and six languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).

“FAO’s food safety priorities highlights the importance of Codex Alimentarius for food safety at a global scale and emphasizes that indeed Food safety is everyone’s business,” said Angeliki Vlachou, FAO Food Safety Officer, in unveiling the new brochure at the 53rd session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA), which is being held this week in China, Hong Kong SAR. Reflecting on the occasion and the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Codex this year, Vlachou highlighted that providing the scientific advice that supports the establishment of Codex standards on food additives is among the longest standing FAO initiatives contributing to the safety of the global food supply.

 “FAO is committed to supporting societal change and technological innovation, backed by scientific evidence, to usher in an era of agrifood systems transformation that puts food safety at its heart,” the publication says, explaining that food safety is a priority programme area for FAO. It is part of the Organization’s work on ‘Better Nutrition’, which is one of the ‘Four Betters’ in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031.

The corporate brochure is aligned with another recently issued document: FAO strategic priorities for food safety within the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031, which was endorsed by the 171st session of the FAO Council in December 2022. The strategic priorities document aspires to four outcomes:

• Intergovernmental and intersectoral coordination of food safety governance is reinforced at all levels;
• Sound scientific advice and evidence are provided as the foundation for food safety decision-making;
• National food control systems are further strengthened and are continuously improved; and  
• Public and private stakeholder collaboration is promoted to ensure food safety management and controls throughout agrifood systems.

With food traded over ever-increasing distances, the publications stress the importance of implementing standards, in particular those set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Learn more

Both documents are being produced in the six official languages of the UN Organization.

Access the corporate brochure here.
Download the strategic priorities document.

Photo credit: © FAO/Codex

CCFA Chairperson, FAN Yongxiang with FAO’s Angeliki Vlachou at CCFA, 27 March 2023