Practical actions to promote food safety
 | FINAL REPORT 6–9 December 2005FAO/WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for the Americas and the Caribbean San José, Costa Rica FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, |
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Issued by the Secretariat of the
FAO/WHO Regional
Conference on Food Safety for the Americas and the Caribbean, FAO, Rome
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FOREWORD
Ensuring safe food is essential for the protection of human health and for improving the quality of life in all countries. The importance of safe food, whether domestically produced and consumed, imported or exported, is well known by the countries of the Americas and the Caribbean. An estimated 57,000 deaths have occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean as a result of food- and waterborne diarrhoea in 2004, but even this estimated burden likely greatly underestimates the true magnitude of the food-borne disease problem in the region. Each food-borne disease outbreak results in a number of direct and indirect costs, in addition to the resultant human suffering. Furthermore, food safety is foundational to all other issues in the area of nutrition and food security, as well as international trade of foods. Food exports from the region are currently worth some US$66 billion, or 12% of the world's total food trade, and this figure could increase rapidly over the coming decades if food safety and quality standards are improved.
Despite these well-known and important reasons, many challenges remain to improving food safety in the region. The countries of the region recognize the importance of developing practical actions for capacity building to overcome these challenges and to promote food safety in the region. Accordingly, following the guidance of the FAO/WHO governing bodies, in line with the suggestions made by the participants at the first and second Joint FAO/WHO Global Fora of Food Safety Regulators (GF1-Morocco, January 2002 and GF2- Thailand, October 2004) and the kind invitation of the Government of Costa Rica, FAO and WHO jointly convened the first Regional Conference on Food Safety for the Americas and the Caribbean in San José, Costa Rica from 6 to 9 December 2005.
The Conference brought together over 175 delegates from 32 member countries of the Americas and the Caribbean and observers from 14 international governmental and non-governmental organizations to discuss food safety issues in the region, under the general theme of “Practical Actions to Promote Food Safety”.
The participants at the Conference recommended a series of practical actions to the member countries and to FAO and WHO to strengthen food safety systems in the region. It was generally recognized by the participants that although the convening of the Conference itself was successful, its true success can only be measured by the degree of implementation of the recommended actions of the Conference and the improved safety of foods produced and consumed in the region.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Joint Secretariat of the FAO/WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for the Americas and the Caribbean wishes to express its sincere thanks to all those who contributed towards the success of this Conference, in particular to the Costa Rican authorities for their willingness to host the Conference and their warm hospitality. The Joint Secretariat also expresses its thanks to the chair, vice-chairs, rapporteur, and working group chairs and rapporteurs for their dedicated hard work and the exceptional manner in which they conducted the Conference; all those who prepared and presented working papers for the Conference; those who prepared Conference Room Documents and those who made interventions during the Conference.
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LIST OF ANNEXES
Annex 2: Provisional Agenda (AF 05/1)
Annex 3: Opening speech of H.E. Doris Osterl of Obregón, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade
Annex 4: Opening speech of Dr Kraisid Tontisirin, Director, Food and Nutrition Division, FAO
Annex 5: Opening speech of Dr Jorgen Schlundt, Director, Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases, WHO
Annex 6: Opening speech of H.E. Rodolfo Coto, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Production
Annex 7: Opening speech of H.E. María del Rocío Sáenz, Minister of Health
Annex 8: Opening speech of H.E. Gilberto Barrantes, Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce
Annex 9: Conference discussion papers
Annex 10: List of Conference Room Documents
Annex 11: Report of the Food Safety Institute of the Americas Workshop
Annex 12: Report of FAO Side Event on Safety of Feed and Food of Animal Origin