Strategies that Support Global Food Safety (U01) Project Abstract The important roles WHO and Codex play in driving food safety initiatives at global, regional and country levels were recognised by the Second International Conference on Nutrition (2014) in its Rome Declaration and Framework for Action. The visibility of WHO action in food safety was amplified by the World Health Day 2015 dedicated to food safety. In April 2016, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed a UN Decade of Action on Nutrition from 2016 to 2025, in which food safety is an essential element in achieving the 2030 Agenda, where food safety contributes to multiple sustainable Development Goals. Food safety education programs, such as the FIVE KEYS TO SAFER FOOD, were developed by WHO in collaboration with FDA. The WHO FIVE KEYS TO SAFER FOOD global message and training materials for consumers in the home and for small-scale producers are now recognized as an international source for conducting national food safety education programs. The FIVE KEYS TO SAFER FOOD concept was subsequently expanded and WHO, working together with FDA, developed FIVE KEYS to Growing Safer Fruits and Vegetables and FIVE KEYS to Safer Aquaculture Products. Many of the network ?building blocks? to address elements of preventive risk-based approaches to food safety reside within WHO. For example: ? The International Networks of Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) ? The Global Foodborne Infections Network (GFN) ? The Global Environment Monitoring System for Food (GEMS/Food) ? JECFA, the Joint FAO/WHO Meetings on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), the Joint FAO/WHO Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Nutrition (JEMNU) and the Threshold of Toxicological Concern Project. ? The management of the Codex Trust Fund. ? Development and dissemination of country needs assessment tools for strengthening national food safety systems. ? Application of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) technologies and data. ? Promoting the use of the WHO Global Foodborne Disease Burden estimates (2015) and assisting foodborne disease burden studies at the country level. ? The Five Keys to Safer Food training materials developed to educate food handlers in safe food handling practices.
Strategies that Support Global Food Safety (U01) Project Narrative WHO has responsibility for the provision of scientific advice and technical assistance to its 194 Member States (national governments) in the area of food safety and zoonotic diseases. Among the focus areas are: expert meetings conducting risk assessments; surveillance for food borne disease and for antimicrobial resistance in the food chain; identification of food contamination; management of mechanisms for information sharing; assessment of new technologies; and systems for emergency response.
