1. Food safety standards and risk management – Issues in the region at International Symposium on Food Safety Standards and Risk Management (27-28 March 2014, Beijing, China)
Ms. Shashi Sareen
Senior Food Safety & Nutrition Officer
FAO Regional Office for the Asia & the Pacific

2. Outline/Coverage Introduction Challenges/ Issues in the Region
Some FAO Activities/ initiatives towards food safety and risk analysis in the Region
Some future priorities/ focus areas for food safety in the region

3. Introduction
Globalization - increasing demand by consumers for variety of foods
Creation of global market - transboundary movement and trade of food across countries – imports/exports
Potential for spread of contamination across countries high
Leading to increasingly new challenges & risks to the health & safety of consumers
Quality, health, safety, labelling, food fraud (melamine, horsemeat) incidents acquiring global focus
Food safety standards play an important role – role of government, FBOs, international/ other organizations

4. Food Safety Challenges in Asia 1/2
Low importance to food safety by government/other stakeholders - food safety incidents often unreported so impact of food safety not well recognized - measurement of FS status poor
Food safety is a cross cutting area across sectors – multiple agencies & coordination important
Legislation/National food control system outdated
Lack of data – foodborne diseases surveillance, food monitoring (risk-based standards and monitoring)
Linking b/w PP & processing – Traceability– food chain
Lack of clear role of regulatory/ voluntary/ private standards

5. Food Safety Challenges 2/2
Lack of suitable infrastructure and resources in terms of financial/ personnel
Globalisation leading to increasingly new hazards & risks – addressing these is a challenge
Regional trade important – but levels of food safety differs
Lack of clarity in application of a preventative risk-based approach across entire food chain
Awareness at different levels and their roles – FBOs (producers; processors; handlers; retailers...), government, consumers

6. FAO Vision
Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
Food security: all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. [World Food Summit, 1996]

7. Food Safety Approaches
Food chain approach – hazards may arise at different stages of the food supply
Preventative risk-based approach is followed rather than a reactive one based on sampling & testing (GAP, GMP, HACCP)
Sound national food control & regulatory systems essential – standards & implementation (risk management)
Roles and responsibilities for food safety - all actors in the food chain namely- farmer or producer, processor, handlers, government, consumer

8. FAO’s Regional Food safety CB Activities
Around projects/ programmes on food safety & quality (national/ regional) & tools & GL developed
Broadly cover:
Food safety policies, legislation, governance (including coordination mechanisms)
SPS/standards & norms/ Codex related activities
Enforcement/surveillance-inspection, testing, FBDS
Food safety in various agro food supply chains (commodity issues) - including street foods/ retail food safety – GAP/GVP/FSMS linkage to primary production
Food safety emergency management/ recall systems
Certifications and accreditation
Trainings/ awareness/ education

9. Some Current Projects in the Region
Regional projects:
ASEAN - Support to CB & Implementation of International Food Safety Standards in ASEAN Countries”(WS, training course, case studies, guidance documents)
GMS - Promotion of rural development through development of Geographical indications at regional level in Asia
SAARC - Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) Certification Scheme in countries of SAARC

10. Some Recent & Ongoing Projects in Asia …2
Country Projects:
Improving food safety in Bangladesh
Enhancing SPS Capacity of Ginger Exports through PPP (Nepal)
Policy assistance for bio-secure agro-food supply chain(Nepal)
Developing food law in Laos
Strengthening of Food Safety and Standards in Bhutan
Strengthening of National Codex Capacity in Mongolia
CB to improve market access for fish & fishery products (Myn)
Strengthening Vietnamese SPS capacity for trade – improving safety & Q of fresh vegetables through value chain approach
Institutional Strengthening on Food Safety & QC in Supply Chain Management of Livestock Products & INFOSAN (Thailand)
Strengthening the food safety information, education, communication capacity to assist implementing Food Safety Law and National Strategy on food safety (Vietnam)

11. Workshops/ Consultations/ Trainings
Regional Consultation on Food Safety Policy development in Asia
Regional Consultation on Equivalence/MRAs to Facilitate Trade of Safe & Q Food (SAARC)
Regional Workshop for Asian Countries on hygiene and safety in food retail
Risk analysis - Chemical risk analysis in the food chain; RA for SAARC
Food Safety Emergency ResponseSER – pilots, WS and trainings
GAPs - Implementing GAP in F&V, its Certification & Accreditation
Study of the food safety scenario in countries for strengthening coordination b/w departments

12. Information Exchange Mechanisms
FAO Food Safety and quality home page page/en/
Web page on Vet & Public Health, Feed & Food Safety;
Emergency prevention & early warning in area of food safety (EMPRES Food Safety): EMPRES-
*FAO Regional office for Asia and the Pacific
*Capacity Building and implementation of international food safety standards in ASEAN countries

13. Some regional publications on food safety

14. Priorities for food safety and RM in the Region
Strengthening food safety coordination mechanism
Food safety indicators – strategy for region
Risk analysis – detailed activities/trainings eg risk profiling, exposure assessment, risk communication (enhance capacity)
Harmonization of standards & technical regulations on food – clear role of regulatory & voluntary standards
Risk-based monitoring and inspection procedures – import control systems, risk categorization, sampling guidelines, curriculla
Food Recall & Traceability –support countries for application in National FS Control- RASFF
Surveillance (food-borne illness surveillance), RMP, labs

15. Priorities of food safety and RM in the Region
Food retail - Regional network & guidance documents, checklists, training modules
Primary production aspects - Strengthening GAP in different sectors sector (developing schemes & certification systems)
Education & training programmes for all stakeholders
Recognition arrangement for acceptance of products within region & with countries outside region
Regional mechanism for accreditation (inspection, testing, certification)
Increased collaboration for use of regional expertise & knowledge – information exchange, awareness and trainings, RA, test facilities

16. THANK YOU Any Questions?