Food plays an important role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The presence of AMR microorganisms in the agrifood systems and food chain is a potential route of exposure for everyone. To collect food and agriculture-related AMR data that could help to manage the risks, the...

FAO and WHO have produced a new series of eLearning courses, which are now available to anyone who wishes to gain a better understanding of the Codex Alimentarius. This collection of food standards, which is fundamental for the safety of food, is set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission as part of the Joint FAO-WHO Food Standards Programme. The courses are geared to Codex Contact Points, government officials, food producers, consumer representatives, Codex observer organizations and members of the scientific community. They are open access and can also be downloaded. The introductory course is available in English, French and Spanish, and multi-lingual...

FAO has produced a video to provide an example of how companies use food safety measures to keep their innovative cell-based food safe during production. A number of scientists walk viewers through the different steps in producing steak from cells from a cow in the 20-minute video, called ‘Ensuring the safety of cell-based food’. Also known as cell-cultured or cultivated food, cell-based food involves culturing cells isolated from animals followed by processing to produce food products that are comparable to the corresponding animal versions, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy products. Masami Takeuchi, FAO Food Safety Officer, explains that...

Growing interest in healthy diets has led to demand for the year-round availability of fresh fruits and vegetables and need for all actors in the food supply continuum, including in greenhouses, to be aware of the vulnerability of fresh produce to various food safety hazards (biological, chemical and physical). As part of the project “Smart Farming for Future Generation", funded by the Republic of Korea, FAO provides support to strengthen food safety in greenhouses operations in Viet Nam. In this context, FAO Food Safety Officer Eleonora Dupouy has undertaken a technical backstopping mission in the last week of September 2022 to...

FAO Farmer Field Schools (FFS) have demonstrated that making changes in livestock production practices can lead to prudent antimicrobial use (AMU), and safe food as well as increased profit margins. Results from pilots in Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe show that farmers who participated in FAO’s poultry FFS decreased their use of antimicrobials on the farm and increased their efforts in infection prevention and control. The increased use of biosecurity measures, such as footbaths and personal protective equipment, were a result of improved knowledge, more prudent attitudes and practises on AMU. Increased motivation and interaction with animal health professionals were...

FAO, with the kind financial support of the Government of France, is currently convening a regional workshop on food safety risk assessment of residues of veterinary drugs in food in Santiago, Chile on 15 - 17 November 2022.  The workshop is the result of close collaboration between the FAO Food Systems and Food Safety Division and the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.  This subject is of great importance for the region, as countries in this area are key producers and exporters of meat. In this regard, FAO’s Food Safety Officer, Vittorio Fattori, pointed out that “it is...

FAO hosted the Joint FAO/WHO expert meeting on microbiological risk assessment (JEMRA) of Listeria monocytogenes in foods this October in Rome.  “It was such a pleasure to have the JEMRA back with in-person meetings again in the meeting room we used to convene the meeting. The experts could overcome the challenges of meeting in different time zones and sit together to discuss the topic fully with great focus and efficiency,” said Kang Zhou, Food Safety Officer from FAO. FAO and WHO recognize the seriousness of Listeria infections, particularly for those most at risk. In 2004, JEMRA experts delivered a risk assessment...

Markus Lipp, FAO Senior Food Safety Officer, spoke at the opening of the 16th Dubai International Food Safety Conference at the Dubai World Trade Center on 1 November. The three-day conference focused on strategic ways to maintain food safety and food security, including through the use of innovations and technologies to strengthen the supply chain. More than 3 000 international experts representing international organizations, national institutions and private sector entities, were in attendance. Here is what he said: Excellencies, Ministers, Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning and good day to all of you. My sincere thanks to Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb...

A group of 24 experts from 15 countries identified the food safety hazards associated with cell-based foods while gathered in the Republic of Singapore on 1-4 November 2022. The experts – who have gained knowledge of cell-based food in the public and private sectors, academia, research and non-government organizations - discussed the potential food safety issues in a 3.5-day meeting convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The experts found that with cell-based food, we run the same risks as with conventionally produced food: the occurrence...

The report on the observance of World Food Safety Day 2022 has now been released in all six official UN languages with the title “World Food Safety Day 2022 in pictures and numbers”, offering an overview of this year’s events. Observances were held in at least 109 countries for the fourth annual World Food Safety Day. Events included webinars and conferences and a wide variety of awareness-raising activities such as quizzes, tasting sessions with food safety tips, sports events and oratory competitions, as well as food safety surveys and media presentations. Notably, there were many school activities organized in different parts...