June 14, 2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will host a comprehensive technical review workshop combined with intensive training sessions to strengthen food safety assessment practices and tools.
A key part of the organization's agenda, the workshop, scheduled to take place in Rome the week of 17 June, aims to ensure the continuous improvement and sustainability of FAO's food safety assessment programme.
Food control systems are critical in promoting a country's public health and economic development. As economies expand and new food safety challenges emerge, such as food fraud, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and water contamination, it becomes increasingly urgent to ensure the effectiveness and adaptability of control systems. The first step in ensuring the operability and responsiveness of your food control system is to conduct a comprehensive assessment using the latest tools and guidelines to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your system and plan accordingly.
In 2019, FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Food Control Systems Assessment Tool (FCSAT) to help Member States assess their national food control systems.
Over the past five years, FAO, together with FCSAT, has facilitated the evaluation of 25 countries to assess the performance of national systems against internationally recognized best practices and develop improvement strategies. Nearly half of these countries have undergone evaluation thanks to a European Union (EU) funded project currently underway in Africa called “Strengthening Food Control and Phytosanitary Capacity and Governance”.
To ensure the continued relevance and validity of the tool, 12 experienced evaluators participating in the workshop will discuss and review the tool and the overall evaluation process, and identify strategies to address emerging issues in a One Health perspective that emphasizes collaborative and multisectoral approaches.
Valuable insights from recent experiences in EU-funded projects will be shared.
The workshop will also consider draft guidelines designed to enhance evaluation practices, address common issues encountered during evaluations, and streamline interactions with stakeholders at various levels.
In conjunction with the technical review workshop, a dedicated training session scheduled for 19-21 June will bring together the new group of assessors to deepen their understanding of FCSAT and refine their assessment methodology. The training session will equip participants with the critical knowledge, skills and strategic insights needed to accurately assess national food control systems using FCSAT. Through interactive discussions, group work and knowledge sharing activities, participants will gain the capacity to analyse data and develop recommendations that are aligned with international standards.
With a focus on improving assessment methods, strengthening tools and promoting knowledge exchange, the two events will lead to improved food safety management systems, resulting in better health and greater economic progress.
