The Codex podcast: Are we prepared for the future of food safety?

In the run up to World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2024, a new episode of the Codex podcast has been released. Vittorio Fattori and Keya Mukherjee from FAO’s Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division joined host Giuseppe DiChiera to discuss the future of food safety.

Through the Food Safety Foresight programme, FAO is monitoring how emerging global drivers and trends might affect the safety of our food and using this knowledge to inform strategic proactive preparedness for future opportunities and challenges.

Preparing for emerging food safety issues

The theme for World Food Safety Day 2024 is “Food safety: prepare for the unexpected”. On the podcast, the food safety experts explained that food safety needs to keep pace with changes driven by the globalization of the food supply chain, climate change, changes in dietary patterns, and many other factors.

“Foresight is used as a tool that can help us navigate some of these uncertain times we are in, although … it does not predict the future.” said Keya Mukherjee, FAO Food Safety Consultant. Foresight can help to bridge science and policy and guide decision-makers and competent authorities to address issues that will, or could, emerge in the medium-to-long term.

Using foresight to address global challenges

FAO is using foresight to proactively identify hazards, examining topics such as circular economy, environmental inhibitors and climate change. For instance, FAO recognized that food safety aspects were missing from the conversations on the impacts of climate change on agrifood systems. The publication, Climate change: Unpacking the burden on food safety, brought global attention to the relationship between climate change and food safety.

Foresight and Codex Alimentarius

The foresight approach can support the Codex Alimentarius Commission in ensuring the safety, quality and fairness of international food trade.

“Given the important role that Codex has in the international food safety arena, it is critical that Codex continues to provide reliable guidance that is timely. And I think for this guidance to stay relevant, it is important that Codex is being kept abreast of the emerging issues in the food safety landscape”, said Vittorio Fattori, FAO Food Safety Officer.  

Listen: The Codex podcast (Ep 19) – Are we prepared for the future of food safety? 

Photo credit: @FAO/ISHARA KODIKARA