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Building capacity to manage food safety challenges

WHO/Europe supports its Member States in accordance with the WHO global strategy for food safety and the Second WHO European Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy 2007–2012.

Activities include:

• promoting a holistic and intersectoral food safety system with a “farm-to-table” approach, emphasizing hygiene throughout the food chain and the implementation of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) systems in the food industry;
• helping to improve systems for surveillance of foodborne diseases and monitoring of microbiological and chemical contaminations in the food chain;
• providing technical support in food safety emergencies;
• collaborating on international information sharing on foodborne diseases and food contamination via the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) and International Health Regulations (IHR) network;
• promoting timely and appropriate risk communication including comprehensive information on food safety risks, such as the WHO five keys to safer food.

Country activities 2009–2012

WHO/Europe gives priority to building national capacity through targeted training courses in Member States. It has agreed with health ministries to provide expertise and support to selected countries. Activities in the period 2009 to 2012 included:

• building capacity in monitoring contamination in the food chain and responding to food safety events (Albania);
• strengthening food safety and promoting healthy nutrition, including raising awareness across all population groups (Croatia);
• addressing climate change, emergencies and environmental hazards (Kazakhstan);
• strengthening capacity to prevent foodborne and nutrition-related diseases (Montenegro);
• developing standards and protocols for population-based public health services (Republic of Moldova);
• improving national and institutional capacity to ensure food safety, risk communication for food safety emergencies (Romania);
• strengthening national capacity to assess, monitor and manage food safety risks and threats and prevent foodborne diseases (Serbia);
• introducing mechanisms and tools to develop an intersectoral food safety system from farm to table (Tajikistan);
• creating a training package on water and food safety (Turkmenistan);
• developing an integrated, intersectoral food safety system, helping to develop a national food safety policy (Uzbekistan).

Among the initiatives started at the country and regional levels, a food safety campaign was launched in Croatia in 2009, providing comprehensive information and education to consumers and promoting food safety education in schools, as part of the implementation of the Action Plan 2007-12.