Безопасность и качество пищевых продуктов

Case study on food safety in situations of limited food availability

28/02/2022

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 the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Under such conditions of food assistance dispensation there are several food safety aspects to be considered in order to carefully evaluate their impact on available food, which may be limited. This needs to be done in conjunction with minimizing the risk of exposure to foodborne contaminants among the receiving population, who maybe particularly vulnerable to due pre-existing conditions such as malnutrition, or other co-morbidities.

“Food aid is consumed for only a relative short time, and is the main or even sole form of nutrition for beneficiaries,” said Markus Lipp, FAO Senior Food Safety Officer, explaining that ensuring food safety in these circumstances requires a modified approach. “This publication is pivotal in exploring novel ways to consider how to best protect the health of beneficiaries of food aid, while strengthening regional capabilities in food production at the same time,” he said.

This case study presents two scenarios - heavy metal (lead) in maize and fungal toxins (fumonisins) in cereal grains - to illustrate food safety considerations that might be helpful to ensure acceptable health outcomes in food insecurity situations. Risk management and recommendations are also provided on how to address these food safety issues.

Download the publication:

Food safety considerations to achieve best health outcomes under limited food availability situations

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