Issues to be discussed in the Collab4Safety workshop
Where we are now? Emerging themes in food security (and by implication food safety) Food security has been defined as the situation when all people, at alltime have physical and economic access to sufficient and safe nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active healthy life (FAO,1996).
Aims of Collab4Safety The overall objective of our activities is to map international research, innovation and training activities and policies in the area of food safety, and to identify gaps in knowledge salient to policy development. Duplication of effort and lack of harmonisation regarding existing research practices, Gaps in international research and training needs, (including capacity building and infrastructure requirements), Critical success factors and identification of barriers pertinent to effective policy translation. Identification of emerging issues which have regulatory and legal implications, as well as the consequences
Scoping workshop Issues to be further explored in the Delphi survey, including, inter alia, issues driving the control and mitigation of emerging food risks knowledge gaps with respect to existing and developing policy frameworks, and possible future food risk policy scenarios
E coli, Spanish cucumber and German bean sproutsgetting it wrong has profound economic consequences Germany admits Spanish cucumbers are not to blame for E coli outbreak Source of outbreak that has killed 16 people remains a mystery as row spreads across Europe and Spain counts cost of ban on its vegetables The Guardian, 31 st May 2011
Emotional consumer response to food safety Meat from the offspring of a cloned cow was eaten in the UK last year, the Food Standards Agency has said Two bulls from the embryos of a cow cloned in the US were bought by a farm near Nairn in the Highlands, and meat from one was sold to consumers. Steve Innes, Newmeadow farmer, says: "We acted in good faith. BBC News, 4th August 2010
Horsegate -not a food safety risk?
Horsegate - The Issues Fraud and standards A food chain (beef post BSE) where these are expected to be applied rigorously Public concern (Illegal) economic gain Criminal activity Not focused on food safety The issue of Bute?
Dioxins in the environment Source wattagnett.com, 2012
Recent dioxin-related food safety issues Belgium (poultry feed supply chain 1999) Ireland (pig feed supply chain 2008) Germany (animal feed supply chain 2011) Harles und Jentzsch plant in northern Germany
Range of potentially relevant driving forces (influences increases in food risk but also risk mitigation) Demographic change Population growth Ageing Migration Economic driving forces Globalisation Food prices Technological driving forces New technologies (GM, nanotechnology, GM) Convergence between sectors (e.g. Agriculture, pharmaceutical and cosmetic) Environmental driving forces Response to, and mitigation of, climate change Resource scarcity and use efficiency Political driving forces Governance ( hard and soft ) Regulatory measures Values and consumer behaviours Risk/benefit perceptions Value of health Animal welfare Corporate social responsibility Fair trade
The GoGlobal project (Conclusions) Political will to engage in emerging food risk identification and management may be problematic, and there is a need to keep the issue on international and national research agendas, (through effective stakeholder engagement). The efficient sharing of data pertinent to emerging food risks across stakeholders in expert communities needs to be supported, (intervention of intergovernmental organisations).
Conclusions of the GoGlobal project (emerging food risks) Capacity and capability regarding emerging food risk identification and management needs to be included in development agendas for donor countries and institutions. A formal framework for dealing with exceptions to global rules needs to be developed. Deviations from global rules may be acceptable for products destined for local use e.g. via a tiered systems of approval for local compared to global use of food products. The principal of equity of food safety would suggest that international resources be directed towards capacity and capability building Stopped short of gap in evidence identification evidence and policy requirements
GoGlobal Most frequently identified global threats Microbiological Chemical Globalisation Control and regulation Mycotoxins Crime and fraud Technology (e,g. Nanoparticles) Note that technology is also seen as a solution to mitigate food safety problems
Food chain contamination Examples of existing threats to food safety Microbial contamination Salmonella Ecoli Veterinary drug residues Bute? Heavy metals and chemicals Methyl mercury Sudan dyes Unintended presence of nanoparticles Unintended presence of GMOs Unintended inclusion of toxic ingredients e.g. Japanese star anise Dioxins Secondary metabolites Mycotoxins Infectious animal diseases BSE and prion diseases
Emerging food risks- Drivers x Hazard? World-wide recession Increase in food fraud? Domestic storage (foods used longer) Conflicts between sustainable use and safe use? Emerging technologies Conflict between societal concerns and technical assessments?
Risk identification for existing safety risks Infosan (WHO) The International Food Safety Authorities Network) RASFF (EU) Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed GIEWS (FAO) Global Information Early Warning system How effective are these combined systems? Where are gaps identifiable? Are there associated capacity building needs?
Emerging research needs Driver Climate change Understanding the food supply chain and its vulnerability to changing weather condition Models to predict this effect Development of mitigation strategies HACCP Studies on food web bio-magnification of toxins Rapid and sensitive methods for the analysis of (emerging) mycotoxins, pathogens and pesticides
Capacity building Driver Climate change Technical training and knowledge exchange on methods to detect emerging food risks Understanding regional/local differences in impact of climate change (International) awareness programmes for all stake holders. Dissemination of current research findings to global end-user communities Training rapid alert system, risk assessment risk communication traceability systems
Driver Climate change Evidence required for policy Evidence to map global patterns of change in emerging food risks Evidence for impact on agricultural products safety Including geographical/regional variability Effect of international communication/ early warning programmes on risk mitigation Impact (social and economic) of risk situations versus the cost of implementing the research and training needs The requirements of international trade and harmonisation of standards
Driver Climate change National and international policy gaps International policy is fragmented, in part due lack of understanding and financial limitations (large differences between countries and regions) Fragmented research strategies to gather evidence
Driver- food fraud Emerging research needs Understanding the motivations of fraud and identification of vulnerable links in the food chain Temporal variation Regulatory variation Geographical variation Variation in Economic motivation (is it worth it..) Developing predictive models to detect fraud A database of methods, spectral data and a RASSFs like notification system of detected fraud A risk based sampling system New technologies for detection and identification of adulteration, substitution and geographic origin of foods
Driver- food fraud Capacity Building Training in detection and prevention methods Training in risk identification and development of sampling strategies Evidence needed for policy development - Estimates of its extent and effect - National/ EU/ International policy based on risk assessment, management and communication National/International policy gaps - It is a sensitive subject therefore investigation fraught with difficulty. - Very little harmonization of (international) approaches to deal with food fraud - Need for a global analysis
Driver - Emerging technologies Emerging research needs Understanding the effect of the drivers on the food chain or on the actors within and its relation to food safety. Developing prediction methods Developing knowledge by combining information from different research areas Developing holistic based methods National/International policy gaps International trade issues Harmonised international frameworks Recommended reading
For each DRIVER of food risk we need to identify Existing threats to food safety Risk identification for existing food safety risks Research needs Training needs Evidence needed for policy development National and international policy gaps??????
Thank you Any questions or comments?
Possible food futures results of a JRC foresight (November 2012) "Participatory world" open society and high food prices/food scarcity focus on prevention, health promotion, and dialogue between all stakeholders Individualistic, technology-driven society with low level of trust (closed society and high food prices/food scarcity) "Me, myself and I" closed society and affordable/abundant food with technology playing a big role environmental issues are considered less important "Perfect world" open society and affordable/abundant food well educated society, high level of innovation and trust, high social responsibility What research, and evidence based policy, is needed to get to the best food futures?