Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations INFOSANInternational Food Safety Authorities Network Dr Peter Ben Embarek, INFOSAN Secretariat Risk Assessment and Management Unit Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses World Health Organization, HQ

2. Presentation Outline • 2013 Recap: Routine Activities & Food Safety Event Management • INFOSAN in WHO's Global Program of Work 2014 - 2015 • Regional INFOSAN Initiatives

3. INFOSAN 2013 Recap INFOSAN Membership • 181 Member Countries • Large increase in members this year from veterinary sector (N = 50) • Continue to encourage designation of full range of Focal Points • Process of designation and re-designation continues on a global scale

4. INFOSAN 2013 Recap Guidance documents/publications • INFOSAN Information Notes • Survey this year helped to prioritize topics and identify potential collaborators • Several Notes are currently under development in various stages of completion • Food Safety during Mass Gatherings • Empowering Women through Food Safety Education • Volunteers are always welcome

5. INFOSAN 2013 Recap Participation in Emergency Simulation Exercises • ConvEx 2013 • Evaluate response to a major radiation emergency - in particular information sharing among all involved stakeholders and provision of the international assistance • LÜKEX 2013 • German based exercise with international implications; dealt with food safety, consumer protection and healthcare in an extraordinary biological threat situation

6. INFOSAN 2013 Recap

7. Notable Food Safety Events in 2013 • Numerous outbreaks of Hepatitis A linked to Frozen Berries • Outbreaks of Salmonellosis in the USA and New Zealand linked to tahini sesame paste from Turkey Dairy products and ingredients originating from New Zealand potentially contaminated with clostridia bacteria Outbreak of acute non-viral hepatitis associated with dietary supplement products

8. 2013: Increased public recognition

9. Looking forward: INFOSAN in 2014/15 • Focus on 3 areas: • 1) Emergency INFOSAN Activities • 2) Routine INFOSAN Activities • 3) Community Strengthening Activities 2014 - 2015

10. Emergency INFOSAN Activities • Activities: • Detection, assessment and management of food safety events of international concern • Products/Output: • International food safety events successfully managed at the international level in a timely manner to protect public health 2014 - 2015

11. Routine INFOSAN Activities • Activities: • Development of guidance documents to assist member states in managing food safety events; • Publication of INFOSAN Notes; • Strengthen links to other regional networks • Product/Output: • Guidance documents finalized; • Notes published; • Links to other regional networks formalized. 2014 - 2015

12. Community Strengthening Activities • Activities: • Improve communication among INFOSAN members; • Further develop the INFOSAN Community website • Product/Output: • New features added in the community website; • Improved utilization by members; • Member-driven communication 2014 - 2015

13. Regional Initiatives Africa  2013 African Union Continental Workshop on the Establishment of AU Food Safety Coordination Mechanism and INFOSAN in Africa group. Gaps  Many countries in AFRO have inactive INFOSAN members; sustained follow-up required

14. Regional Initiatives Europe  Formal agreement with EC RASFF is under development which would provide automatic notification of serious risks to INFOSAN Secretariat through direct access to the RASFF Window; Possibility of a secondment from EC to INFOSAN Secretariat. Gaps  Non-EU countries not included

15. Regional Initiatives Americas  First regional meeting of INFOSAN members from the Americas in 2014 to develop a regional strategy (Using INFOSAN in Asia Strategy as Inspiration) Middle East Currently no regional INFOSAN groupingplanned; GCC countries already linked.

16. Regional Initiatives South East Asia and Western Pacific  Strategy to Enhance INFOSAN in Asia Gaps  not all countries included; Pacific Island countries not included

17. Regional Initiatives – APEC FSIN APEC  21 Member Economies; Development of Food Safety Incident Network (FSIN) with portal accessed through the already existing INFOSAN Community Website

18. Regional Initiatives – APEC FSIN APEC FSIN Principles: • To meet the goals of the FSIN, five principles underpin the implementation of the Model for the APEC FSIN–INFOSAN interface and are as follows: • Principle 1 - Strengthen the linkage between APEC and INFOSAN • Principle 2 - Sharing of information • Principle 3 - Timely access to experts • Principle 4 - Commitment to the ‘Partner Initiative’ for collaborative and participatory engagement • Principle 5 - Support the adoption of a forward workplan to progress work in a timely and resource efficient manner

19. Leveraging existing networks • Common goals • Shared resources • Safer food around the globe

20. 2nd INFOSAN GLOBAL Meeting • 2014 : 10 years anniversary of the INFOSAN network • Working towards : 2nd INFOSAN Global Meeting to bring all members together, celebrate 10 years of INFOSAN in action and develop the way forward. • Host: Countries interested in hosting the next INFOSAN Global Meeting should contact INFOSAN Secretariat. 2014 - 2015

21. Thank You www.who.int/foodsafety E.mail: benembarekp@who.int Phone: +4122 791 14 98 /+41794729200 Twitter : Peterfoodsafety QQ: 1073849485