Food safety events
During the first quarter of 2021, the INFOSAN Secretariat was involved in 56 food safety events involving 67 WHO member states. There were 28 events involving a biological hazard [Listeria monocytogenes* (10), Salmonella spp. (9), Escherichia coli* (4), Clostridium botulinum (2), Norovirus (2), Hepatitis A virus (1), and Vibrio vulnificus (1)]; ten involving a chemical hazard [Histamine (4), Ethylene oxide (1), Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (1), Malachite green (2), Hydrocyanic acid (1), extractable cyanide (1)]; nine involving an undeclared allergen/ingredient [egg (2), peanut (2), milk (2), mustard (1), soy (1), and lactose (1)]; seven involving a physical hazard [glass (4), metal (3)]; and two food safety events where the hazard was undetermined.
The food categories most commonly involved in the 56 events during the first quarter of 2021 were fish and other seafood (15), milk and dairy products (9), herbs spices and condiments (5), meat and meat products (4) snacks, desserts, and other foods (4), food additives (3), fruit and fruit products (3), nuts and oilseeds (3), vegetables and vegetable products (3), drinking water (2), sugar and confectionary (2), alcoholic beverages (1), fruit and vegetable juices (1), and starchy roots and tubers (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.
As a general observation, the 56 events of this quarter represent the highest registered number of events of all quarters of previous years. This increased activity is likely due to a number of factors, including, increased reporting of food safety issues associated with undeclared allergens/ingredients; a general increasing awareness of risks to public health; and efforts made by the Secretariat following the Second Global Meeting in 2019 that strengthened Member States’ engagement with the Network. In 2020, the INFOSAN Secretariat facilitated numerous webinars and workshops with Member States and assisted them on how to use the available resources of the Network.
Lastly, increased capacity at the INFOSAN Secretariat has enabled wider coverage and a more efficient response to food safety events, thereby allowing the Secretariat to better adapt to Member States’ requests and needs as they arise.
* One event involved both Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli.
These events involved 67 Member States from all WHO regions: Europe (45), followed by the Western Pacific (19), the Americas (18), Africa (9), the Eastern Mediterranean (7) and finally South-East Asia (6).
Recall in Australia and Canada of sweet rice pancakes due to the presence of undeclared allergen (eggs), originating from the Republic of Korea.
In January 2021, the INFOSAN Secretariat was notified by INFOSAN colleagues in Australia and Canada of a recall in Australia and Canada of sweet rice pancakes due to the presence of an undeclared allergen (eggs). The recalled products originated from the Republic of Korea and were exported to Australia and Canada. Through engagement with the INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point (ECP) in the Republic of Korea, the INFOSAN Secretariat received details of further distribution of implicated products to additional WHO Member States: New Zealand, Singapore and the United States of America. The INFOSAN Secretariat facilitated the information exchange to the recipient Member States. Consequently, several Member States undertook investigations into illnesses associated with the consumption of the implicated products. No illnesses were reported to the INFOSAN Secretariat.
This event has highlighted the importance of efficient and accurate communication between INFOSAN members and the Secretariat.
Occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes during the first quarter of 2021
During the first quarter of 2021, the INFOSAN Secretariat was informed of 10 food safety events involving the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in food commodities. This figure alone represents 17% of the total food safety events that were reported in this quarter. The food commodities involved were mainly milk and dairy products with seven events, followed by meat and meat products with two events and lastly one event with fish and other seafood. These products were distributed to Member States from all WHO regions: Europe (9), Western Pacific (6), the Americas (4), Eastern Mediterranean (2), Africa (1) and South East Asia (1). 70% of these events were reported to the Secretariat by RASFF and 30% by INFOSAN members. The information shared through the INFOSAN Secretariat and RASFF platform allowed Member States to recall some of the implicated products as risk management measures.
While not conclusive, this increase is representative of a sustained increase in reports of food safety events to the INFOSAN Secretariat over the past several quarters.
Looking forward for the second quarter
INFOSAN Capacity Building Activities
Over April and May 2021, the INFOSAN Secretariat is organizing virtual workshops at country level with Morocco and Senegal. The aim of both workshops will be to strengthen the participation of INFOSAN members; and in Senegal, undertake a simulation exercise to test their food safety emergency response plan.
Further, the INFOSAN Secretariat is planning a workshop with Cameroon, in collaboration with the FAO. This workshop will be conducted remotely for the INFOSAN Secretariat and physically for the INFOSAN members in Cameroon. The aim will be to familiarize members in Cameroon with the type of information typically requested and exchanged through INFOSAN during an international food safety emergency, and to strengthen INFOSAN and other activities related to food safety emergency response.
Countries interested in undertaking similar training activities are invited to contact the INFOSAN Secretariat to discuss their specific needs.
World Food Safety Day
Some INFOSAN members alongside the INFOSAN Secretariat collaborated with FAO in the preparation of a live stream for the launch of the campaign for the third version of the World Food Safety Day (WFSD). The live stream newscast announced this year's theme "Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow" and included contributions from FAO, WHO and the Secretariat’s of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, as well as guests from around the world. The discussion focused on why food safety is everyone’s business and set the scene for the third occurrence of WFSD on 7 June 2021. In case you missed the launch, you can watch it again on the official WFSD web site, here.
Additionally, in preparation for the third WFSD, the Secretariat is organizing a series of preliminary webinars for INFOSAN members. In these webinars, members will share their experiences at the national level in the implementation of activities that were developed for previous WFSD’s, and the impact of these activities.
The INFOSAN Secretariat encourages you to visit the official website of the World Food Safety Day regularly for guidance documents available to assist you in the promotion of WFSD in your country.
INFOSAN Working Groups
The INFOSAN Secretariat has been organizing a working group series for their members on various emerging themes around the management of international food safety events. The working group series features INFOSAN members who are most frequently involved in food safety events. The most recent working group was held on 22 and 24 March 2021 and it focused on food fraud and food authenticity. This working group explored specific case studies, regulatory regimes and jurisdictions of members, identification, priorities and surveillance, and the impact of COVID-19. The outputs from the working group series will be summarized in an overview and shared with all INFOSAN members in the second quarter of 2021, with the potential to further develop and strengthen specific areas within INFOSAN.
Voice of an active network member
