The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project supported activities in the Plurinational State of Bolivia and in Colombia in commemoration of World Food Safety Day this year.

In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, events were organized by the Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria e Inocuidad Alimentaria (SENASAG), in coordination with food producers and processing companies.

On 6 June, World Food Safety Day was launched in the Gandarillas Hall of the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands, in the city of La Paz. The event was attended by a hundred people, including producers and representatives of food processing companies, as well as the Minister of Rural Development and Lands, the Deputy Minister of Consumer Protection, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the FAO representatives in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and others.

After the ceremony, an exhibition of natural and processed foods was offered to the authorities. In the offices of SENASAG in the city of Santa Cruz, a World Food Safety Day Fair was held on 7 June. This event was aimed at the general public who were able to learn about the process of Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Hygiene Practices applied during food processing. During the event, participants were also able to see a wide variety of products and taste them. The event was attended by the Departmental Head of SENASAG Santa Cruz, the Vice-Ministry of Defense of User and Consumer Rights, the College of Food Engineers of Society of Engineers of Bolivia (SIB), and more than 30 food processing and manufacturing companies.

In the educational establishments of the city of Santa Cruz, awareness talks were also held on proper hand washing, the importance of consuming safe food and Good Manufacturing Practices, essential to ensure that the products that reach our table do not pose health risks. This activity was carried out on 7 June through a dramatization in which the children manipulated models that simulated microbes that infect food when handled with dirty hands.

In Colombia, the ACT The project supported the Instituto Colombianos Agropecuario (ICA) in the production of a video to promote food safety, with a strong focus on the application of good production practices, including those associated with disease prevention and the use of antimicrobials in the treatment of animals.

The video was disseminated through ICA's social networks (Instagram, Facebook) and the video will continue to be broadcasted on its YouTube channel in an extended version. Likewise, the video will be used in subsequent conferences and other spaces that reach the target audience.

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World Food Safety Day events this year

Photo © SENASAG
Caption: WFSD awareness talks in educational establishments in the Plurinational State of Bolivia