Food safety standards and
risk management – Issues in
the region
at
International Symposium on Food Safety
Standards and Risk Management
(27-28 March 2014, Beijing, China)
Ms. Shashi Sareen
Senior Food Safety & Nutrition Officer
FAO Regional Office for the Asia & the Pacific
E-mail: shashi.sareen@fao.org
Outline/Coverage
Introduction
Challenges/ Issues in the Region
Some FAO Activities/ initiatives towards food
safety and risk analysis in the Region
Some future priorities/ focus areas for food safety
in the region
Introduction
• Globalization - increasing demand by consumers for
variety of foods
• Creation of global market - transboundary movement
and trade of food across countries – imports/exports
• Potential for spread of contamination across countries
high
• Leading to increasingly new challenges & risks to the
health & safety of consumers
• Quality, health, safety, labelling, food fraud
(melamine, horsemeat) incidents acquiring global focus
• Food safety standards play an important role – role of
government, FBOs, international/ other organizations
Food Safety Challenges in Asia 1/2
• Low importance to food safety by government/other
stakeholders - food safety incidents often unreported so
impact of food safety not well recognized measurement of FS status poor
• Food safety is a cross cutting area across sectors –
multiple agencies & coordination important
• Legislation/National food control system outdated
• Lack of data – foodborne diseases surveillance, food
monitoring (risk-based standards and monitoring)
• Linking b/w PP & processing – Traceability– food chain
• Lack of clear role of regulatory/ voluntary/ private
standards
Food Safety Challenges 2/2
• Lack of suitable infrastructure and resources in terms of
financial/ personnel
• Globalisation leading to increasingly new hazards & risks
– addressing these is a challenge
• Regional trade important – but levels of food safety
differs
• Lack of clarity in application of a preventative risk-based
approach across entire food chain
• Awareness at different levels and their roles – FBOs
(producers; processors; handlers; retailers...),
government, consumers
FAO Vision
• Achieving food security for all is at the heart
of FAO's efforts – to make sure people have
regular access to enough high-quality food to
lead active, healthy lives.
Food security: all people, at all times, have physical, social and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet
their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life. [World Food Summit, 1996]
Food Safety Approaches
Food chain approach – hazards may
arise at different stages of the food
supply
Preventative risk-based approach is
followed rather than a reactive one based
on sampling & testing (GAP, GMP, HACCP)
Sound national food control &
regulatory systems essential – standards
& implementation (risk management)
Roles and responsibilities for food
safety - all actors in the food chain
namely- farmer or producer, processor,
handlers, government, consumer
FAO’s Regional Food safety CB Activities
• Around 15 - 20 projects/ programmes on food safety &
quality (national/ regional) & tools & GL developed
• Broadly cover:
Food safety policies, legislation, governance (including
coordination mechanisms)
SPS/standards & norms/ Codex related activities
Enforcement/surveillance-inspection, testing, FBDS
Food safety in various agro food supply chains (commodity
issues) - including street foods/ retail food safety –
GAP/GVP/FSMS linkage to primary production
Food safety emergency management/ recall systems
Certifications and accreditation
Trainings/ awareness/ education
Some Current Projects in the Region
Regional projects:
• ASEAN - Support to CB & Implementation of
International Food Safety Standards in ASEAN
Countries”(WS, training course, case studies, guidance
documents)
• GMS - Promotion of rural development through
development of Geographical indications at regional
level in Asia
• SAARC - Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) Certification
Scheme in countries of SAARC
Some Recent & Ongoing Projects in Asia …2
• Country Projects:
 Improving food safety in Bangladesh
 Enhancing SPS Capacity of Ginger Exports through PPP (Nepal)
 Policy assistance for bio-secure agro-food supply chain(Nepal)
 Developing food law in Laos
 Strengthening of Food Safety and Standards in Bhutan
 Strengthening of National Codex Capacity in Mongolia
 CB to improve market access for fish & fishery products (Myn)
 Strengthening Vietnamese SPS capacity for trade – improving
safety & Q of fresh vegetables through value chain approach
 Institutional Strengthening on Food Safety & QC in Supply Chain
Management of Livestock Products & INFOSAN (Thailand)
 Strengthening the food safety information, education,
communication capacity to assist implementing Food Safety
Law and National Strategy on food safety (Vietnam)
Workshops/ Consultations/ Trainings
• Regional Consultation on Food Safety Policy development in
Asia
• Regional Consultation on Equivalence/MRAs to Facilitate
Trade of Safe & Q Food (SAARC)
• Regional Workshop for Asian Countries on hygiene and safety
in food retail
• Risk analysis - Chemical risk analysis in the food chain; RA
for SAARC
• Food Safety Emergency ResponseSER – pilots, WS and
trainings
• GAPs - Implementing GAP in F&V, its Certification &
Accreditation
• Study of the food safety scenario in countries for
strengthening coordination b/w departments
Information Exchange Mechanisms
• FAO Food Safety and quality home page
http://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/homepage/en/
• Web page on Vet & Public Health, Feed & Food
Safety;
www.fao.org/ag/AGAinfo/programmes/en/A6.html
• Emergency prevention & early warning in area of
food safety (EMPRES Food Safety): EMPRESFS@fao.org
• *FAO Regional office for Asia and the Pacific
http://www.fao.org/asiapacific/rap/home/en/
• *Capacity Building and implementation of
international food safety standards in ASEAN
countries http://foodsafetyasiapacific.net/
Some regional publications on food
safety
Priorities for food safety and RM in the Region
Strengthening food safety coordination mechanism
Food safety indicators – strategy for region
Risk analysis – detailed activities/trainings eg risk
profiling, exposure assessment, risk communication
(enhance capacity)
Harmonization of standards & technical regulations on
food – clear role of regulatory & voluntary standards
Risk-based monitoring and inspection procedures –
import control systems, risk categorization, sampling
guidelines, curriculla
Food Recall & Traceability –support countries for
application in National FS Control- RASFF
Surveillance (food-borne illness surveillance), RMP, labs
Priorities of food safety and RM in the Region
Food retail - Regional network & guidance documents,
checklists, training modules
Primary production aspects - Strengthening GAP in
different sectors sector (developing schemes &
certification systems)
Education & training programmes for all stakeholders
Recognition arrangement for acceptance of products
within region & with countries outside region
Regional mechanism for accreditation (inspection, testing,
certification)
Increased collaboration for use of regional expertise &
knowledge – information exchange, awareness and
trainings, RA, test facilities
THANK YOU
Any Questions?
Shashi.sareen@fao.org