Food safety events
During the fourth quarter of 2019, the INFOSAN Secretariat was involved in 15 food safety events involving 44 WHO Member States and two territories of WHO Member States. There were 13 events involving a biological hazard (Listeria monocytogenes (4), Salmonella (3), Escherichia coli (3), Norovirus (2), and Clostridium botulinum (1)), and two involving a physical hazard (glass (1) and plastic fragments (1)).
The food categories most commonly involved in the 15 events during the fourth quarter of 2019 were meat and meat products (3), fish and other seafood (2), herbs, spices and condiments (2), milk and dairy products (2), alcoholic beverages (1), composite foods (1), fruit and fruit products (1), nuts and oilseeds (1), unknown (1), and vegetables and vegetable products (1).
During such international food safety events, the INFOSAN Secretariat relies on the swift action of national INFOSAN Emergency Contact Points to respond to requests for information. Rapid sharing of information through INFOSAN enables members to implement appropriate risk management measures to prevent illness in their respective countries.
Geographic scope
These events involved Member States / territories from all WHO regions: Europe (19), followed by Africa (7), the Western Pacific (7), the Americas (6), the Eastern Mediterranean (6) and finally South-East Asia (1).
During this quarter, an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections in the United States (US) linked to the consumption of romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, California, was reported to the INFOSAN Secretariat. Following reports of the suspension in Hong Kong SAR (China) of the import and sale of romaine lettuce from the US in any form, the INFOSAN Secretariat worked in collaboration with the respective INFOSAN Emergency Contact Points (ECP) to seek information pertaining to illnesses in Hong Kong SAR (China) linked to the consumption of romaine products.
During this event, colleagues in the US shared whole genome sequence information to assist with the identification of international cases. Subsequently, it was confirmed that no E. coli O157:H7 infections were reported in Hong Kong SAR (China). No other reports of illnesses outside of the US have been reported to the INFOSAN Secretariat.
News & activities
From 9 – 11 December 2019, the WHO and the FAO, with support from the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), organized the second global INFOSAN meeting, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The second global meeting served as a unique opportunity to bring together some 250 representatives from more than 130 countries to engage in a discussion around the progress and challenges faced by INFOSAN over the past 15 years, share experiences, and allow members to obtain a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
On the first day of the meeting, attendees heard how INFOSAN has grown into a global network with a strong membership of 190 countries and over 600 members. New developments at the Secretariat include an ambitious new strategy that was launched to guide the work for the coming six years, as well as the construction of a new INFOSAN Community Website that will enable INFOSAN members to connect more efficiently. The keynote address, delivered by Prof. Steven Jaffee, provided an overview of the World Bank Safe Food Imperative Report, which makes a compelling case for investing in food safety. INFOSAN members also heard from experts from research institutions and food safety authorities who explained real-life cases of food safety emergencies and demonstrated that by sharing information through INFOSAN, all member countries can enhance the safety of the global food supply.
The second day of the meeting illustrated the important links between INFOSAN and other regional networks. Regional networks discussed included the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), the Gulf Cooperation Council RASFF, the Arab RASFF, the Association for South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) RASFF, and the European Food Safety Authority’s Emerging Risks Exchange Network. Members discussed ways to improve collaboration across sectors and between programs to strengthen the various initiatives to better manage food safety events. One important point raised during the discussion was the necessity to designate common contact points in INFOSAN and other regional networks to ensure complementarity and to avoid parallel communication tracks, especially during a response to an international food safety event. Members also had the opportunity to share their experiences and tested solutions with respect to sharing information during food safety incidents nationally, between sectors and internationally.
On the third day, attendees heard feedback from regional break-out discussion groups, each providing important regional perspectives on how to overcome barriers to active participation in INFOSAN activities. These illustrate the differences that exist between regions and justify continuing and increasing regional activities. The final “hard talk” session delivered a technical discussion between experts on a range of emerging and important topics for food safety including whole genome sequencing, food fraud, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and risk analysis.
On 12 December, following the conclusion of the global meeting, the INFOSAN Secretariat held regional meetings of INFOSAN members in the Americas and Asia. INFOSAN members discussed and reviewed achievements from their 2019 INFOSAN National Actions Plans and formulated their 2020 INFOSAN National Action Plans, as well as reflected on the global meeting and the impact it will have on INFOSAN in their regions.
Further information on the second global meeting can be found on the ADAFSA and WHO websites.
Voice of an active network member
