Food safety incidents
During the fourth quarter of 2021, the INFOSAN Secretariat responded to 64 food safety incidents involving 86 WHO Member States (MS) and one MS territory. There were 33 incidents involving a biological hazard [Salmonella spp. (10), Listeria monocytogenes (10), Escherichia coli (3), Bacillus cereus (1), Hepatitis A virus (1), Vibrio spp. (1), Clostridium spp. (1), Clostridium botulinum (1), prions (1), Staphylococcus aureus (1), Shigella sonnei (1) and two incidents with an unknown biological hazard]; eighteen involving an undeclared allergen/ingredient [milk (4), soy (4), egg (3), peanuts (3), almonds & pistachios (1), hazelnuts (1), shellfish (1), wheat (1)]; six involving a physical hazard [glass (2), plastic (2), foreign body (1), metal (1)]; six involving a chemical hazard [methanol (2), acrylamide (1), amygdaline (1) histamine(1) and patulin (1)] and one with an unknown hazard.
The food categories most commonly concerned in the 64 incidents during the fourth quarter of 2021 were fish and other seafood (8), meat and meat products (8), snacks, desserts, and other foods (8), nuts and oilseeds (8) vegetables and vegetable products (5), herbs spices and condiments (4), milk and dairy products (4), sugar and confectionary products (4), cereals and cereal based products (2), alcoholic beverages (2), fats and oils of animal an vegetable origin (2), fruit and fruit products (2), composite food (1), fruit and vegetable juices (1), non-alcoholic beverages (1), products for special nutritional use (1), and three with an unidentified food source.
In the last quarter, and due to the active engagement of INFOSAN members and partners, 42% of those incidents were communicated by Member States to the Secretariat through the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), 49% by INFOSAN members (Emergency Contact Points and Focal Points), and 9% through various WHO channels. Moreover, the INFOSAN Secretariat registered a significant increase in the number of food safety incidents during all the four quarters of 2021.
Over the past few years, following the recent mixed-method exploration into the experiences of INFOSAN members and the second global meeting of INFOSAN members, the INFOSAN Secretariat enhanced the ability to cover a wider and more efficient response to food safety incidents. The INFOSAN Secretariat has been able to better adapt to Member States’ requests and needs as they arise, resulting in a strengthened international network.
Geographic scope
These 64 incidents involved 87 WHO Member States and territories. The affected Member States were distributed as follows: 31 out of 53 Member States from the European Region, 22 out of 47 in Africa, 11 out of 35 in the Americas, 9 out of 21 in the Eastern Mediterranean, 10 out of 27 in the Western Pacific, and finally 4 out of 11 in South-East Asia.
News & Activities
INFOSAN Working Group on Food Supplements
The INFOSAN Working Group convened virtually on 22 and 24 November of 2022 to discuss dietary/food supplements. The objectives of the meeting were to share best practices and national experiences on various aspects of food supplements, including regulation and distribution through e-commerce, as well as the different roles and responsibilities from the various stakeholders involved.
The INFOSAN Secretariat will provide further information on the different sessions of the INFOSAN Working Group to INFOSAN members in the coming months.
INFOSAN Capacity Building Activities
Supporting capacity building initiatives in the South-East Asian Region
During the fourth quarter of the year, the INFOSAN Secretariat supported a number of initiatives in the WHO South-East Asia Region to strengthen INFOSAN and food safety emergency response in the region.
On 18-22 October 2021, the Mekong Institute organized a Regional Training Program on Food Safety Emergency in the Supply Chain. The objectives of this training were to increase the understanding of the food safety emergency management, to provide practical tools and approaches to improve the response to food safety emergencies and to encourage the development of a national food safety emergency response plan. The INFOSAN Secretariat provided support to the training by introducing an overview on global food safety outbreaks and incidents, elaborating on the importance for Member States to actively participate in INFOSAN to rapidly disseminate information to allow the implementation of risk management measures in other countries.
On the 25-28 October 2021, the INFOSAN Secretariat participated in a virtual Regional Roundtable Meeting: Advancing the Implementation of the Framework for Action on Food Safety with the South-East Asia Region. The INFOSAN Secretariat presented an overview of the alert and notification of food safety incidents in the region, including a real-life example to highlight the importance of international collaboration to manage international outbreaks of foodborne diseases.
The INFOSAN Secretariat looks forward to continuing supporting Member States in the South-East Asian Region to strengthen the network in the region.
Sub-regional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans, 25-26 November 2021
To enhance Member States capacities in the Western Balkan to better respond to food safety emergencies; a two-day workshop was conducted in Durres, Albania on 25-26 November 2021. The main aim of the workshop was to support countries/territories to apply the risk analysis principles and procedures in the response to food safety emergencies.
During the workshop, each country/territory presented their current food safety systems, including challenges and gaps. This was followed by technical presentations from the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the INFOSAN Secretariat, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety of Germany (BVL), and the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission to share experiences, best practices and tools for the use of food safety risk analysis principles during food safety emergencies. Among the challenges highlighted from different countries is enhancing cooperation between the different food safety agencies and nominating focal points in all the line ministries and food safety stakeholders, cross border information sharing, joint investigation and response to food safety emergencies.
The training concluded with individual discussions for each country/territory on identifying actions to improve response to food safety emergencies. Participants acknowledged the importance of INFOSAN to rapidly share information during food safety emergencies and recognized the importance of designating INFOSAN members in the different agencies involved in responding to food safety emergencies.
Regional virtual meetings
Strengthening INFOSAN in Africa, 10-11 November 2021
The INFOSAN Secretariat in collaboration with the WHO and FAO regional offices in Africa jointly organized for the first time an online regional meeting of INFOSAN members in Africa on 10-11 November 2021.
During the meeting, INFOSAN members from the 47 Member States in the WHO African Region had a unique opportunity to be provided with an update on the different activities undertaken to strengthen INFOSAN in the region and received further orientations to best utilize the network, including the new INFOSAN Community Website. The meeting also provided a forum for members to share their feedback with the INFOSAN Secretariat. Finally, Member States discussed the key barriers identified during the Second INFOSAN Global Meeting and review the challenges that are still hindering the active participation in INFOSAN.
The meeting allowed the identification and agreement on practical actions to enhance INFOSAN in Africa, including ways to improve the African network of INFOSAN members. In consequence, Member States also agreed to develop key actions to strengthen INFOSAN at the national level in 2022-2023.
Strengthening INFOSAN in Asia, 7-8 December 2021
A virtual INFOSAN regional meeting to strengthen INFOSAN in Asia was held on 7-8 December 2021 by FAO, WHO HQ and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, jointly organized with the support of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea. INFOSAN members from 16 Member States in the region attended the meeting to discuss how to enhance participation in the network for the region. Member States also reflected on technical topics and shared national insights on foodborne disease surveillance.
The meeting also followed up on the challenges to active participation in INFOSAN for the Asian region. In this context, the meeting also served to present the INFOSAN Strategic Plan and Members’ Guide for Asia, developed jointly by INFOSAN members in the region and the INFOSAN Secretariat. The document intends to serve as a functional reference guide to members in the region, including also current challenges and strategic actions to address them. Member States in the region were encouraged to develop key actions to implement the Strategic Plan in 2022.
Strengthening INFOSAN in the Americas, 15-16 December 2021
In compliance with the Regional Strategy to Strengthen in the Americas, the eight Regional Meeting to Strengthen INFOSAN in the Americas took place on 15-16 December 2021. The meeting was jointly organized by the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in collaboration with the FAO. Participants to the meeting were the INFOSAN Emergency Contact Points and Focal Points from 30 countries in the region.
During the meeting, INFOSAN members in the Americas had the opportunity to receive updates on the different activities performed by the network over the past year. A detailed review of the implementation of the regional strategy for the Americas was presented, including indicators concerning response to food safety emergencies and INFOSAN membership of Member States in the region. Member States were encouraged to continue implementing the Regional Strategy and seek support from the INFOSAN Secretariat to achieve the goals set in the strategy.
Member States learnt about national experiences on foodborne disease surveillance and reflected on the interactions of the topic with INFOSAN for the region.