INSURING INTERNATIONAL FOOD SAFETY—A JOINT EFFORT WITH CSPI

In June 2005, Safe Food International—a joint project of the Washington DC- based Center for the Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and CECHE— hosted the first-ever international meeting of consumer and public health organizations to discuss and draw up a set of recommendations for food safety and food-bioterrorism preparedness. Over the course of the three-day meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 32 delegates from 25 different countries representing every region of the world produced:

  • “Guidelines for Consumer Organizations to Promote National Food Safety Systems” – a document that will help NGOs monitor their governments’ food safety activities and advocate adequate systems for detecting, preventing, and managing food borne-illness outbreaks and food-related bioterrorism outbreaks. The report, released in November 2005 at the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Microbial Threats, can be found at http://www.safefoodinternational.org/
    guidelines_for_consumer_organizations_20050727.pdf
    . The Guidelines also have been circulated abroad.
  • “Global & Local” – a report that describes food safety issues unique to seven different geographic regions. The report was instrumental at the meeting in informing and sensitizing delegates to food safety concerns unique to each region. For instance, BSE is a concern in Europe, while no cases have been reported in Latin America. The draft document was posted on the SFI website to enable other NGOs to peer-review each section and suggest changes – and many did so. The final version of “Global & Local” is now accessible at http://www.safefoodinternational.org/international_report_051905.pdf.

The meeting also:

  • Initiated the first major discussions among NGOs – and between NGOs and the WHO/FAO – on issues of food safety and food bioterrorism;
  • Provided a unique networking opportunity for public health NGOs. Strengthened leadership and resolve of those NGOs to take coordinated action on food-safety and food bioterrorism issues in their countries; and
  • Increased membership in the International Association of Consumer Food Organizations (IACFO), a coalition of like-minded consumer groups that has pioneered efforts to ensure that the consumer’s voice on food policy is heard by international agencies.

The partners hope that Safe Food International’s reach will be expanded through regional conferences designed to increase the number of countries involved in discussions about the Guidelines, develop better tools for evaluating national programs, and formulate regional action plans.

 



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