Food Protection Trends - November/December 2022 - 538

Furthermore, the first allergen report was published: Risk
assessment of food allergens: part 1
Overall, 20 years of JEMRA resulted in more than 40 publications,
20 Codex standards and their updates, almost 900
citations, over 370 experts (40% female and over last 5-8 years
ratio is 1:1) and experts came from nearly 60 different countries.
The World Food Safety Day (jointly initiated with FAO is showing
good increased activity).
WHO update (video recorded) by Luz Maria De-Regil (Unit
head multisectoral actions in food systems, department of
nutrition and food safety, WHO). The WHO has a global strategy
with 5 strategic priorities (strengthen national food control safety
systems, responding to global changes, better use of information/
science/QMRA in management decisions, stakeholder
engagement and risk communication, safety essential in local/
regional/international trade). Work should be evidence driven,
people centered, forward looking, and cost effective. Overall
ambitious targets are set as 40% reduction of food borne
disease, 100% multisectoral collaboration mechanisms for
food safety events, stronger national surveillance systems to
detect and monitor foodborne disease and food contamination.
A national food control system assessment tool (WHO/FAO)
using162 criteria was developed. The World Food Safety Day
was now organized for 4 years (together with FAO) with a clear
increasing trend of uptake, 450+ events, 106 countries active
and 1.2 bln impressions on social media platforms. Furthermore,
Health Talks on Food safety are organized: see https://foodsafety.
whohealthtalks.org. Additionally, a food safety community of
practice was launched the end 2021. Codex updates (see
also before at FAO), there were many publications produced
among others: pesticides residues in foods and microbiological
risk assessment guidance in food. The Global Environment
Monitoring System GEMS database was updated. The FAO
newsletter can be requested at NFS@who.int.
Arie Havalaar (Uni Florida /WHO) gave an update on
FERG2:
Previously the WHO Foodborne Disease Burden
Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) reported in 2015
(based on the status of 2010) their report and many background
and specific publications. It clearly stipulates the relevance
of foodborne disease being relevant (and also preventable),
worldwide and for everyone. The burden is especially high for
children below 5 and specifically in Africa. Four metals have
been added that were not officially included in the previous
WHO outputs. Resulting from the WHA73.5 resolution 2020 an
update will be made of these first ever global estimates. New
activities will start with the biggest change being the move to
more national estimates versus regional. The work will be carried
out over 2021-2024, and the first outcomes expected in 2025 and
contribution from 26 new members. There will be some additional
hazards (bacteria, parasites, toxins). There will be a new impact
measurement task force and country support task force. Apart
from DALYs, economic estimates will be made (including also
the World Bank). Additionally, hazards with a low disease
burden, where there is a lot of attention, will be focused on, to
help prevent too stringent a focus and using the management
systems in a cost-effective way as to not waste valuable food
management resources, valuable food and hurting producers
unnecessary. Overall, the system will also be made more easily
updatable.
Questions: are aspects like salt/blood pressure included?
No, it is not based on nutrition. Q: for chemicals like arsenic and
mercury-lead, what is the issue related to them? The exposure
side is similar; but the health effect estimates are not bound
(and can be much larger than the actual one), and the attribution
methodology discussion is not solved yet. Q: what is the model
for national burden estimates? There is not yet a default model.
New Business:
2023 Ideas for Program Submission (submission deadline 4
October 2022).
DeAnn Benesh: Could we create symposia for example from
the WHO/FAO output just presented? Organize a webinar to help
disseminate information on FAO/WHO or other organizations
reports and manuscripts that are newly published (together with
the IFPI PDG or any other relevant PDG given the subject).
Furthermore, it is questioned how there is follow up of the FAO/
WHO documents. together with the IFPI PDG or any other
relevant PDG given the subject. Information can also be shared
by joint symposia with the food safety education.
Caroline Smith DeWaal: Traditional food markets symposium
(JFP study describes 4 regional guidance documents (of FAO/
WHO) for traditional food markets, but these were very different,
so it would be good to strive for more global standards.
Leon Gorris: Room for innovation for risk assessment and
risk analysis, and how food systems work (organized together
with Janell Kause): approaches for metrics for equivalence.
Jeff Read: symposium idea US food safety regulation
compared to around the globe and how to balance regulation
to meet other countries regulation systems going down to
production/product level. Leon Gorris: built on to Jeff Read's
idea with suggestions of adding room for innovation in risk
assessment/analysis, getting a better understanding of how food
systems work in other countries and asses risks of deviations
from codex regulation (Food safety indicators).
James Cook (SGS) proposed as subject: E-commerce for
seafood industry: regulatory requirements.
Lucia Anelich: the ready-to-eat conundrum challenge and
opportunities: combine with Caroline (also include African Union
Strategy).
Would it be useful to increase the number of meetings?: in
general, the opinion was to hold PDG meetings once every two/
three months: to develop ideas and keep the right pace. Since
it is international PDG it would be best not to have a standard
time but to alternate. It would be good to set meetings on the
calendar, and skip if there are no agenda items. It could help to
keep the flow in developing proposals for RT and Symposia, but
also webinars.
Should we extend the chair/vice chair team with a
secretary?: this would have as disadvantage that this would
result in a 6 year's assignment, so no support was given to make
this chance for the PDG.
Questions to the Executive Board: what is done for " Food
Safety Day " by IAFP?
Q: Regional IAFP meetings, what is their frequency? There
are some consistent and some rotating regional meetings from
IAFP in different regions in the world
For next year there will be a nominations procedure for the
Vice Chair position.
Recommendations to the Executive Board:
1. Caroline Smith DeWaal proposed if there is an activity of
IAFP at World Food Safety Day (June 7)? And if not, it is
advised to develop a strategy to also have communication/
promotion of food safety at this day, since it is perfectly
matching with our mission.
Next Meeting Date: July 16, 2023. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Meeting Adjourned: Motion to adjourn the meeting: Katie
Swanson, seconded by Isabel Walls. Meeting adjourned 10:32
a.m. EDT.
Chairperson: DeAnn Benesh.
538 Food Protection Trends November/December
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