Near East countries discuss safety and regulatory aspects of cell-based food
An event on the margins of the 11th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East on 21 September saw Codex Members discuss the national regulatory situations of cell-based food, a new technique for producing food from cells whose products are not yet on the market in the region. At different stages of readiness to assess and regulate the safety of cell-based food, the countries discussed a range of issues.
“We agree with other countries that this type of food is important,” said the Codex Contact Point for Oman, noting interest in collaboration – in particular, creating specialized bodies composed of experts to exchange information and experiences to assess the safety risks of cell-based foods.
Interest in collaboration was echoed by several Members, notably Saudi Arabia, who serves as the regional coordinator and proposed forming a harmonized approach across the region.
The Codex Contact Points for Egypt and Syrian Arab Republic, who are planning to initiate discussion with regulators of an appropriate framework to enable proper food safety assurance systems, also expressed the need for international support to be equipped with the technical capacity required.
Qatar, having joined the Technical Working Group organized by FAO and WHO, is ready to share its experience.
“Food safety should be an enabler, not a barrier, of innovation. If food safety is neglected or underestimated, the product will not fly,” said Masami Takeuchi, FAO Food Safety Officer, who gave an overview of FAO and WHO’s work on cell-based food after welcoming participants on behalf of Markus Lipp, FAO Senior Food Safety Officer. She reminded participants that cell-based food can be in the form of chicken, salmon, beef, shrimp, plus an array of others. “It can be difficult to divide up the phases of production, given the variety of products and food safety may have to be tailored for each item,” she said.
Prior to the 21 September meeting, 17 Members representing 14 countries in the region had responded to a survey about the safety and regulatory aspects of cell-based food whose results were presented by Juliana De Oliveira Mota, WHO Technical Officer. Eighty two percent considered that there is a perception that this is a completely new production process, meaning they need to learn more to understand the food safety issues. Affirming the notion, 71 percent indicated that consumers will need information as they currently have no familiarity with cell-based foods.
When asked what terminology to use for ‘cell-based food’, the majority of survey respondents said they would adopt the working term currently used by FAO and WHO, translated to the local language.
We must find a harmonized mechanism to ensure safety, protect health and fair practices in food trade, engaging all Member States in this process, said Moez Sanaa, Head of the Standards and Scientific Advice on Food and Nutrition, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, in closing the event.
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FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East
Photo: © FAO/Espoir Agbohouto