Cell-based food production methodologies have been well characterized, meaning they are now ready to move from laboratories to production facilities. The world saw its first cell-based beef burger in 2013 and chicken nuggets in 2020. There are now more than 75 start-ups developing various cell-based products around the world. The array of products and commodities is fast expanding to include various types of meat, poultry, fish, aquatic products, dairy and eggs. The idea is to cultivate animal cells in vitro and then process them while minimizing animal slaughtering. The safety of such products may come to the minds of consumers as...

A skilled workforce of food safety professionals familiar with the challenges, opportunities and regulatory frameworks of a country are essential to improve food safety, increase domestic and international trade opportunities and enhance the health of the population. This need is especially critical in low and middle-income countries where foodborne diseases have a high social and economic cost. For example, it is estimated that over 137 000 people in Africa die each year from preventable foodborne illnesses.  “Many context-specific factors can either limit or enable the implementation of specific practices and actions that impact food safety. It is therefore critical that, when...

After the recent FAO publication Thinking about the future of food safety – A foresight report was released we caught up with two of the authors, Vittorio Fattori, FAO Food Safety Officer, and Keya Mukherjee, FAO Food Safety Specialist, to hear their thoughts about the document. Fattori also recorded a video, providing an overview of foresight and some of the issues covered by the publication. (Watch the video here: Using foresight in food safety) Our first questions were for Vittorio Fattori: Foresight is in the news, but what is foresight? And why is it important in food safety? It is important...

In a short video message, FAO Food Safety Officer Vittorio Fattori explains that FAO is seeking scientific experts with solid experience in the assessments of contaminants (including toxins), food additives and veterinary drug residues in foods. FAO is building a roster of experts to conduct assessments as part of the Joint (FAO/WHO) Expert Meeting on Food Additives (JECFA), an international expert scientific committee that gathers periodically on a voluntary basis. The call for experts was issued on 28 January and will remain open until 28 April 2022.   Watch the video See more in the call for experts Read an earlier...

An update of activities of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), the group that provides scientific advice on the safety assessment of micro-organisms in food, was on the agenda of the 52nd session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH). Delegates received a briefing on the microbiological risk assessment reports that are expected to be published in 2022: Listeria monocytogenes STEC in meat and dairy Water reuse in fisheries Water reuse in dairy Low moisture foods, and Spices. In his presentation, Jeffrey LeJeune, FAO Food Safety Officer, also went over publications released in the last two years. For instance,

On 7 March – with exactly three months to go before the 7 June celebration, the theme for this year’s World Food Safety Day was revealed and the World Food Safety Day guide was published. The theme this year is ‘Safer food, better health’. World Food Safety Day event organizers around the world are encouraged to focus on the ways in which improvements in food safety can impact on the health of people, animals and the environment. The guide to World Food Safety Day also makes the point that “we need to transform food systems to deliver better health, and we...

A new FAO publication Thinking about the future of food safety – A foresight report, was released on Monday 7 March, outlining how major global drivers and trends will shape food safety in tomorrow’s world. All food needs to be safe for human consumption; thus, appropriate food safety measures must form the core of food production in our agrifood systems. As agrifood systems are transformed to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there is need to develop and maintain a deep understanding of the future opportunities, threats and challenges ahead of us. What is foresight? Why is it important in food...

Jorge Pinto Ferreira and Jeffrey LeJeune, FAO Food Safety Officers, are co-authors of a recently published review paper that focuses on the use of antimicrobials in plant agriculture and its associated resistance, from a One Health perspective. The article was published by Agriculture, an international, scientific journal published online by MDPI on a monthly basis. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is associated, at a global level, to close to 5 million human deaths annually. Vegetables contaminated with antimicrobial resistant organisms have caused a number of foodborne disease outbreaks. Understanding the pathways that vegetables become contaminated with antimicrobial resistant organisms can help develop strategies...

Jorge Pinto Ferreira, FAO Food Safety Officer, spoke about the interconnections between antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and food safety at the “Future Leaders Against AMR” on 25 February. This international programme for students and early career professionals is designed to support their development as future leaders in the work against AMR. In his presentation, Pinto Ferreira explained the difference between antimicrobial residues and resistance, “By resistance, in simple terms, we mean the capacity of, for example, bacteria to be able to survive after a treatment with an antibiotic that used to be able to kill it,” he said. “While residues are usually...

A recent FAO publication describes how certain food safety considerations need to be taken into account to ensure acceptable health outcomes in situations where the impact of food insecurity is mitigated through food aid. Food security exists when people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet the dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. Therefore, food safety is closely interlinked with food security. In times of food insecurity, brought on by conflicts, natural disasters and climate crises, humanitarian relief in the form of food assistance is often distributed by specialized organizations, such as...