1. FAO Food Safety Programme
Capacity development & global Governance
Renata Clarke
Head of Food Safety and Quality Unit

2. Food safety is a complex, global problem
Population growth
Rapid urbanization
Lifestyle and dietary changes
Increased global and regional trade
Market access
Food safety is a health priority
Food safety is an essential component of food security
Food safety is an essential component of market access
A changing economic, social, environmental and technological context has had an impact on the main drivers of food safety concerns.
Continued population growth and rapid urbanization, people's lifestyle and dietary changes in both industrialized and developing countries, increased global and regional trade, the ever more urgent need for conserving the natural resource base in the face of climate change, advancement in science and technology, especially the transformational adoption of communication tools, are all contributing to a changing landscape. This has brought new challenges and new opportunities for addressing long-standing problems as well as emerging issues.
FAO has a new strategy for delivering assistance in food safety capacity development, based on lessons learned
FAO has a unique ability to advise on complex issues related to food and agriculture from pre-production to the consumer.
FAO plays a key global role in food safety governance and in food safety capacity development
It is important
to combine regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to preventing food safety incidents and
to recognize the need to consider the costs of applying food safety measures particularly as they could affect small-scale producers.

3. The new food safety strategy has 5 key elements
Strengthening national food control capacities and global trade facilitation
Supporting science-based food safety governance and decisions
Enhancing food safety management along food chains
Providing food safety platforms and databases
Developing food safety intelligence and foresight
Strengthening national food control regulatory capacities and global trade facilitation
Strategic focus: Provide leadership in supporting countries in the assessment and progressive development of food control systems.
Outcome: Increasing numbers of countries are able to demonstrate improved capacities for food control that support national food safety goals and market access.
Supporting science-based food safety governance and decisions
Strategic focus: Provide sound scientific advice to underpin food safety standards.
Outcome: Timely setting of risk-based standards that address current and emerging food chain issues and consumer confidence in a global food system based on sound science.
Enhancing food safety management along food chains
Strategic focus: Support developing countries to apply risk-based food safety management along food chains that are appropriate for national and local production systems and in compliance with Codex texts.
Outcome: Reduced trade disruption due to non-compliance with food safety requirements.
Providing food safety platforms and databases
Strategic focus: Provide mechanisms which support networking, dialogue and access to information and facilitate effective communication internationally on key food safety issues.
Outcome: Efficient communication and effective collaboration internationally on food safety issues.
Developing food safety intelligence and foresight
Strategic focus: Play a major role in the collection, analysis and communication of food chain intelligence.
Outcome: Countries are better prepared for emerging food chain issues and sustainability of food systems is promoted.

4. Element 1: Delivering Food Safety Capacity
We are small but we leverage inputs from national authorities and other partners
We have wide range of food and agriculture specialists
We translate experience from more mature systems into advice for developing member countries.
We are the only UN agency with a Development Law service
Increasing importance of trade facilitation agenda
Legal and regulatory framework
Promoting food chain approach
Policy environment
Capacities for risk-based planning
Technical services for enforcement
Food safety emergency planning
Monitoring
Commitment of resources
Accountability
Training & stakeholder consultation
The purpose of this slide is to allow us to describe what we do quickly… I am not sure how we combine it with the points in the next slide which is intended to give important insights into our “specialness” as a deliverer of food safety CD… I would like your ideas…
For sure, I think that the elements that you have outlined here probably need to be changed to facilitate a description of our work (keeping the legislative base and the policy environment). For the additional elements we might consider:
coordination/ collaboration to promote food chain approach
Capacities for risk-based planning
Strengthening technical services for enforcement… and related information management
Capacpties for food safety emergency prevention and incident managment
Monitoring
Training and continuous improvement
Stakeholder consultation
I will note that inadequate high level support has often been a main obstacle to improvement … a link to our focus on improving the policy-making process a couple slides from now
Contributing to international discussions driving food safety policies and priorities – at national regional and international levels
Supporting food safety policy development in many countries, and more effective cross-sectoral coordination among health, agriculture, veterinary, trade sectors, nutrition and food security.
Raising awareness among high level to support food safety based on risk analysis paradigm, and more effective resource allocation

5. Element 1: Supporting steady improvement of national food control systems
National Food Control Systems Assessment Tool
Science/knowledge/ improvement
Evidence / risk base
Continuous improvement
Inputs and resources
Policy and legal
Infra-structure & finances
Human resources
Interactions with stakeholders
Domestic stakeholders
International stakeholders
Core business functions
Control activities
Functions and Efficiency
I will onlu use 2 of these 3 slides … I am leaning towards keeping this slide and an adaption of the next one that only shows the 3rd level for one or two o the sub-dimensions (with a graphic that clear shows what subdimension we are elaborating on) which allows us to ensure that it is visible and also allows us to focus on the approach of h te assessment and not on the choices of descriptors.

6. Element 2: Providing scientific advice to Codex
JECFA
JEMRA
JMPR
Ad-hoc Consultations
Codex
advice
requests
Process outputs
Examples:
MLs for pesticides
Specifications for additives
Veterinary drug residue limits
Guidance on microbiological risk
Guidance on GMO risk assessment
Strategic focus: Provide sound scientific advice to underpin food safety standards.
Outcome: Timely setting of risk-based standards that address current and emerging food chain issues and consumer confidence in a global food system based on sound science.
How are we achieving it?
Scientific advice to Codex (structured process)
Scientific advice to countries and partners
Effective participation in Codex
This slide should explain why we are custodians of process (to ensure global reach, openness

7. Element 2: Scientific advice to countries and partners
Examples are:
Safety of food aid to vulnerable populations
Decisions in emergency situations (e.g. flood in Haiti)
New technologies (e.g. Nanotechnology)
Strategic focus: Provide sound scientific advice to underpin food safety standards.
Outcome: Timely setting of risk-based standards that address current and emerging food chain issues and consumer confidence in a global food system based on sound science.
How are we achieving it?
Scientific advice to Codex
Scientific advice to countries and partners
Effective participation in Codex
tools/food-safety-tools/en/

8. Element 3: Enhancing food safety management along food chains
FAO integrates food safety support into broader sector development programmes
Drawing on specific food chain expertise of FAO Technical Divisions (e.g. fisheries, livestock, dairy, crop)
Association with work on strengthening capacities of regulatory agencies
Requests for guidance on implementation of Codex texts
Synergies with FAO normative programmes (e.g. Impact of agricultural practices on AMR)
Strategic focus: Support developing countries to apply risk-based food safety management along food chains that are appropriate for national and local production systems and in compliance with Codex texts.
Outcome: Reduced trade disruption due to non-compliance with food safety requirements.
Large number of agencies and NGOs providing training on food safety management. FAO has de-emphasized general training on GHP and HACCP
However, focussed training by specialized Technical Divisions in various sectors ...
FAO advantage as service provider
when synergies
interpretation difficulties Codex
synergies with normative projects or programmes of FAO (e.g. AMR)

9. Element 4: Providing mechanisms to support networking, dialogue and access to information
FAO databases provide information to support work of countries on food safety management
Networks (e.g. INFOSAN) facilitate the timely exchange of information
There are challenges with sustainability
Strategic focus: Provide mechanisms which support networking, dialogue and access to information and facilitate effective communication internationally on key food safety issues.
Outcome: Efficient communication and effective collaboration internationally on food safety issues.
How do we do it?
Databases supporting food safety management
Platforms for communication

10. Element 5: Developing food safety intelligence and foresight
Economic, social, environmental and technological context is changing
This creates new challenges and new opportunities for addressing long- standing problems as well as emerging issues
Strategic focus: Play a major role in the collection, analysis and communication of food chain intelligence.
Outcome: Countries are better prepared for emerging food chain issues and sustainability of food systems is promoted.
Addressing emerging food safety issues
Preparedness on the part of member countries
FAO has a key role in contributing to global food safety foresight.
We are currently defining a more systematic approach to identifying emerging issues:
Antimicrobial Resistance
Guidance on early warning
Engaging with other agencies

11. Wrapping up FAO has a key role in global governance
To improve food safety globally countries must implement good practices and enforce national regulations aligned with international requirements
Partnerships are essential for our delivery