The United Nations Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2), held in Rome at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), closed on Wednesday 26 July after three days of high-level events, meetings and dialogues. Over 2 000 participants from 180 countries came together to explore challenges and opportunities to transform agrifood systems.

During the Summit, delegates and stakeholders learned about the importance of the central role of food systems transformation in increasing efficiency and sustainability and the important role of food safety and Codex in this context. Reflecting on the role of international standards on the sustainability of food systems, the delegate from the European Union also noted in their intervention that “The ongoing discussions on the future of Codex Alimentarius provide a unique opportunity to optimize the contribution of Codex standards to sustainability.”

During the UNFSS+2, the right of consumers to food that is both safe and nutritious was highlighted by a number of delegations and speakers. “Food systems will not be sustainable, nor transformed adequately if food is unsafe” stressed Mary Kenny, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Officer at the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia.

Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Food Systems and Food Safety Division at FAO, said that agrifood systems will be transformed most effectively by bringing together systems and the people working in them: “One of the major challenges is that we are not working together,” explained Dr Hawkes, “there are some people over here trying to fix nutrition, food safety (…) and we are all operating in separate spaces.” Going forward, “the agrifood system really is the solution to the world’s most important challenges,” concluded Dr Hawkes, as it can provide a solution also to chronic diseases and to unsafe food.

In other discussions, the importance of food safety governance and having the required skills and capacities was evident as countries address priorities such as market access, trade, short value chains and the true cost of food as part of overall sustainable development.

Learn more
UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment
UN Food Systems Coordination Hub
Interview with FAO Director of Food Systems and Food Safety Division, Corinna Hawkes
Report of the Secretary-General “Making food systems work for people and planet - UN Food Systems Summit +2”
UN Secretary-General Call to Action

Photo © FAO/Riccardo De Luca
Caption: Corinna Hawkes participates in a panel discussion at the UNFSS+2 Stocktaking Moment