On Tuesday 25 June, a webinar brought together experts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to inform and inspire food safety professionals from across Europe and Central Asia to better manage known and emerging food safety risks.

“FAO is working closely with the countries of the region to enhance their capacities to be prepared,” said Raimund Jehle, FAO Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia in his welcome words. “Investing in scientific research on food safety and collaborating with scientific institutions are key, not only for identifying the threats, but also for developing better practices in mitigation and control. FAO continuously advises countries on emerging and future issues with publications, awareness raising activities and methodologies based on scientific evidence and data.” 

“Preparedness for food safety incidents calls for the ability to swiftly identify and mitigate hazards. This requires investment in surveillance, laboratories, and institutional response capacities. WHO Europe is committed to its support to the Member countries on improving National Health Security, and currently working on a regional strategy and action plan, which includes preparedness for emergencies” highlighted Nhu Nguyen Tran Minh, Programme Area Manager at the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

The webinar was held under this year’s World Food Safety Day theme, “food safety: prepare for the unexpected”.

“Food systems form an interconnected network of increasing complexity; but in parallel, tools and availability of data are also advancing and improving, which eventually supports our evidence-based decision making,” underlined Ákos Jóźwiak, Head of Department of Digital Food Science at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Budapest, during his keynote speech. He noted that “there is a strong need for multidisciplinary teams working together to address the emerging food safety risks. Enabling cross-sectoral data sharing and investing in capacity building and data literacy are crucial for identifying future food systems risks.”

Tatiana Calionchina, Head of the planning, risk assessment and quality management department, National Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Moldova, noted that collaboration amongst authorities and food chain actors, making use of digitalized systems for official controls, and having crisis management and communication plans are needed for being prepared for the unknown. Svitlana Shlapatska, Deputy Head of Unit for Animal Health and Welfare at the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, shared that food safety remains a priority even while the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Policies, communication, and outbreak preparedness plans for prioritized zoonotic diseases are being updated with the cross-sectoral input by health, agriculture, and environmental experts.

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