Working together to contain foodborne AMR in Cambodia

Government representatives, farmers, academics and food business operators met for a workshop in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 16-18 May 2022 to review efforts to contain foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The workshop was part of an FAO project that sees the participation of six countries, of which Cambodia is one, seeking to raise awareness, step up collaboration and stop foodborne AMR by implementing the related Codex standards.

We spoke with Jorge Pinto Ferreira, FAO Food Safety Officer, who was there.

-          What was the meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia about?

It was a Progressive Management Pathway (PMP) workshop, in this case an activity of the ACT (Antimicrobial  Codex Texts) project, funded by the Republic of Korea.

The workshop lasted three days, and was attended by about 50 different stakeholders from Cambodia, with a wide range of professional backgrounds, including government, academia, industry or research. The overall goal was to assess how the country is doing regarding the implementation of their Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) National Action Plan (NAP), and subsequently outline the actions that need to be taken, by whom, and within which timeframe.

-          What progress has been made in combatting foodborne AMR and who will this affect?

In Cambodia, a major achievement was the elaboration of a Multi-Sectoral Action Plan (MSAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance, endorsed in December 2019, by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of Environment. The fact that AMR is being addressed, and particularly foodborne AMR, benefits all the consumers, and can also have a positive impact, for example, in terms of trade. 

-          What is key to the success of a diverse group of stakeholders working together to combat foodborne AMR?

Good communication, good listening skills (to understand what the different stakeholders perspectives are) and overall, a sense that the top priority should be the common (public) good, putting aside personal/individual interests.

Read more news:

-          on the Codex site

-          on the FAO in Cambodia site

Find out about the AMR Codex Texts (ACT) project