FAO workshop to delve into whole genome sequencing for food safety management
Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) technology has been used to monitor the variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 during the pandemic and, as a result, become more widely known. In recent years, the same technology has been successfully employed by food regulatory authorities around the world, mainly in high-income countries, to investigate food safety outbreaks.
WGS is a comprehensive method for detecting and analysing the entire genome of a microorganism. In fact, this technology facilitates precise detection, investigation and control of foodborne bacterial outbreaks, leading to more rapidly and more effective decision-making in the response.
Terms such as “genome”, “sequence”, “variants” have become familiar to many non-experts, this, in combination with the rapidly declining cost of WGS technology, make now an opportune moment to expand the use of WGS in food surveillance systems. This would facilitate investigating foodborne disease outbreaks, better protecting consumer health and trade between countries.
The potential of WGS tool in the area of food safety is well known to FAO since May 2016, when a global technical meeting on the impact of WGS on food safety management was organized and the first technical paper entitled the Applications of WGS in food safety management was published to provide a better understanding of WGS through concrete case studies for food safety competent authorities. Recently a peer-reviewed article called “Investing in Food Safety for Developing Countries: Opportunities and Challenges in Applying Whole-Genome Sequencing for Food Safety Management” was published in the journal of Foodborne Pathogens and Disease to outline how low- and middle-income countries can introduce WGS in their food control system.
FAO supports Members countries to integrate WGS technology into their national regulatory frameworks, in a sustainable way, according to the capacities and resources of each nation. A 3-day workshop will be held in Rome, Italy on 18 – 20 April 2023.
Government-sector professionals from low-income countries are invited to form a group ofthree people from within their country, and to review the Call for Participation to apply. The primary objective of the workshop is to discuss in detail the benefits and impact of the integration of WGS in food safety management and regulatory actions.
Access the call for participation
Related links:
Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and food safety
A silver lining of the pandemic: Whole-genome sequencing and food safety
© FAO/Ferenc Isza