Side event on food safety in a circular economy at CAC47
FAO hosted a side event on Food safety in a circular economy at the 47th Session of Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC47) on 29 November 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. The summary reportof the event has been published.
The aim of the event was to stimulate discussion on the food safety aspects that need to be considered and addressed when implementing circular practices in agrifood production.
Markus Lipp, FAO Senior Food Safety Officer at the Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division, opened the event, highlighting that with the increasing relevance of circular economy approaches, Codex and Members need to put circular economy in their plans to pre-empt any potential negative public health outcomes. “This will become even more critical in the light of food systems thinking, food systems transformation, where we will have to go towards more sustainable food production methods and circular economy is certainly one of those approaches,” said Lipp.
Vittorio Fattori, FAO Food Safety Officer, presented the highlights and the focus areas covered in the publication Food safety in a circular economy. He explained that the interconnectedness of circular agrifood systems, where resources come out of one process and enter another, can present challenges for contaminants, many of which can persist and accumulate along the processes.
The panel discussion, moderated by Ki Jung Min, FAO Communication Officer, involved two food safety experts from the United States of America and China. Alexandra Ferraro, U.S. Codex Office, United States Department of Agriculture, outlined three food packaging challenges that have arisen where food safety meets the circular economy: fast-moving regulations, unintended consequences and a varied landscape. Yongxiang Fan, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, discussed the food safety considerations in integrated farming systems, which have been widely practiced in China for a long time.
For more information, download the summary report.
The side event recording can be viewed online at the following links:
ENGLISH | FRENCH | SPANISH | ARABIC | CHINESE | RUSSIAN
FAO Food safety in a circular economy
Photo: ©FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius