INFOSAN Activity report, 2020–2021
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WHO ; FAO ;
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This INFOSAN Activity Report provides an overview of the major events, activities, and information products relating to INFOSAN in 2020/2021. Aiming to prevent the international spread of contaminated food and foodborne diseases through international food trade, International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) has been set by FAO and WHO for connecting national authorities worldwide to strengthen national and international food safety systems. Since its launch in 2004, INFOSAN has continued to grow and develop forging functional links with regional food safety networks and initiatives, and building on a strong global reputation for efficiency and effectiveness in the context of international food safety emergency response.
During the 2020/2021 biennium, the INFOSAN Secretariat responded to 375 international food safety events representing the highest number of incidents since the launch of the Network, and nearly double the number of events responded to during the last biennium (162 incidents in the 2018/2019 biennium). The increase in activity could be attributed to the increased awareness of food safety risks, capacity-building activities delivered by the INFOSAN Secretariat, increased reporting of food safety issues, webinars and workshops with FAO and WHO Member States, increased capacity at the INFOSAN Secretariat, and stronger collaboration with key partners.
Biological hazards were responsible for the largest number of INFOSAN events, the most common of which was Salmonella spp. The rest of the incidents involved undeclared allergens, physical hazards, chemical hazards, and hazards that remained unidentified. The most implicated food categories were fish and other seafood, followed by milk and dairy products, meat and meat products, and snacks & desserts. The majority of the 375 events involved Member States in the European Region, followed by the African Region, the Region of the Americas, the Western Pacific Region, the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and the South-East Asia Region.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the INFOSAN Secretariat played an important role in communicating information and updates on COVID-19 and food safety to its members. This has been achieved by launching a call for questions on food safety and COVID-19, followed by a series of webinars for INFOSAN members to introduce the FAO/WHO guidance documents on food safety and COVID-19.