Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been clearly identified as a major global health challenge. It is a leading cause of human deaths and also has a toll on animals, plants, and the environment. Despite the considerable socio-economic impacts, the level of awareness of the problem remains woefully inadequate, and antimicrobials are not generally recognized as a global common good, one that everyone has a role and responsibility to conserve. It is imperative for antimicrobial stewardship to be more widely implemented to achieve better control of the AMR phenomenon. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations plays an important role in promoting and facilitating antimicrobial stewardship. The specific needs to be addressed and barriers to be overcome, in particular,...

What is foresight? How does it help our agrifood systems and the global food safety arena? The world we live in is constantly evolving. Keeping pace with these changing global contexts—while continuing to deliver safe and nutritious food for the growing global population—rests on the ability of our agrifood systems to sufficiently anticipate, absorb, and adapt to the changes. In this regard, there are concerted efforts underway to transform agrifood systems to make them more resilient, sustainable, and equitable in the face of the economic, environmental, and social challenges of today and those that may arise. This document is an author manuscript version of article that has been published externally in Food Safety Magazine June 8, 2022

As the global population rises there is an increased need to find solutions to adequately feed the world. This is in the context of growing awareness about the impacts of conventional agriculture on the environment, effects of climate change and drive for healthier living. All this has prompted a heightened interest in exploring sources of food that are both nutritious and environmentally sustainable. Some of these new food sources are explored in a recent FAO publication entitled, Thinking about the future of food safety - a foresight report. One food source that has garnered steady attention recently – from media, consumers, national agencies to private sector – is edible insects. This document is an author manuscript version of article...

Over a third of global agrifood exports cross borders at least twice before reaching the final consumer. The complexity of food supply chains and the growing importance of the global agrifood trade thus creates new and ever greater challenges for the management of food safety. Geographically dispersed foods that have been produced, processed and distributed by multiple actors can pose heightened food safety risks. Tracing the origins of unsafe food is also more complex and time-consuming. For this reason, many nations have implemented more rigorous systems of food control for agrifood imports, while many others need assistance to develop them. To this end, FAO developed this guidance as part of a project entitled 'Digital solutions in support of improved official...

Responding to a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) implemented a series of activities aimed at collating and analysing the available information on microbiological hazards related to LMF and ranking the foods of greatest concern from a microbiological food safety perspective. Seven categories of low-moisture foods which were ultimately included in the ranking process, and the output of the risk ranking, in descending order was as follows: cereals and grains; dried protein products; spices and dried herbs; nuts and nut products; confections and snacks; dried fruits and vegetables; and seeds for consumption.

A virtual meeting of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) was held on an online platform on 6–17 and 22 June 2022. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the safety of certain food additives and flavourings. The present meeting was the Ninety-fifth in a series of similar meetings. The tasks before the Committee were to (a) further elaborate principles governing the evaluation of food additives; (b) undertake safety evaluations of certain food additives; (c) review and prepare specifications for certain food additives; and (d) establish specifications for certain flavouring agents.

The present meeting was the ninety-fourth in a series of similar meetings and the twenty-fourth JECFA meeting specifically convened to consider residues of veterinary drugs in food. The tasks before the Committee were to further elaborate principles for evaluating the safety of residues of veterinary drugs in food, establishing acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and acute reference doses (ARfDs), and recommending maximum residue limits (MRLs) for such residues when the drugs under consideration are administered to foodproducing animals in accordance with good practice in the use of veterinary drugs (GVP); to evaluate the safety of residues of certain veterinary drugs; and to respond to specific requests from the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF). 

This infographic provides key facts about food safety and debunks some popular myths.

This short document outlines the importance of food safety, the benefits and how food safety can be improved at home. It is part of a set of leaflets produced by FAO and WHO to promote food safety, in particular around World Food Safety Day.  Available in: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish

This short document outlines the importance of food safety, the benefits and how food safety can be improved in workplaces. It is part of a set of leaflets produced by FAO and WHO to promote food safety, in particular around World Food Safety Day.  Available in: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish