Drafting the technical paper on Applications of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for Food Safety Management

Drafting the technical paper on Applications of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for Food Safety Management

Editor

FAO ;

Descripción

The expert workshop on practical applications of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for food safety management was held to develop a paper with concrete case studies on the use of WGS for food safety management in the regulatory frameworks at the national level. The experts presented different case studies, practical applications and lessons learnt from implementing WGS for food safety management. WGS could be an effective tool that allows the identification and characterization of microorganisms wit h a high level of precision not previously possible. The experts stated that WGS could be a cost-efficient alternative for countries with existing subtyping capabilities or countries that have existing infrastructure and want to implement WGS. Through the case studies presented by the experts, along with various benefits and potential drawbacks, it was recognized that there are several regulatory and technical challenges associated with the actual implementation of WGS in food safety managemen t. Interpretation of data and validation, comfort level among partners on appropriate use of data, intellectual property, and isolate ownership can be drawbacks related to implementation of the technology. Another challenge that needs to be addressed, especially in developing countries is the confidence in the use of databases and fear of trade barriers. At the end of the workshop, the first draft of the technical background paper was successfully developed. All key elements identified on the f irst day were incorporated into the paper and some suggestions were made for FAO and WHO for the next steps.