GFSI-led webinar opens the door to 2021 World Food Safety Day celebrations
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat gathered online for a conversation that centred on public-private partnerships, a form of collaboration that is essential to securing food safety globally. Erica Sheward, GFSI Director, set the stage for the 11 March 2021 webinar called “How the Public and Private Sectors are Teaming Up for Safe Food for a Healthy Tomorrow” by explaining why World Food Safety Day (7 June 2021) is important to GFSI.
Because safe food is directly linked with economic prosperity and sustainable development, GFSI is encouraging conversation about food safety, and World Food Safety Day presents an opportunity, she explained. GFSI, a 20-year-old initiative with a global multi-stakeholder community behind it, promotes the extensive collaboration needed to ensure a safe global food supply.
Food is unlike other consumer products, Markus Lipp, FAO Senior Food Safety Officer explained. “After air and water, people need food – it is critical for our survival,” he said. “We network eating food, we fall in love over food and food helps build family connections,” yet there are hazards to consuming food, he said, emphasizing that the public health burden of unsafe food is huge. He then went on to explain that everyone can do something to help raise awareness on World Food Safety Day, and to facilitate activities, FAO and WHO have produced a guide in six languages. (Links below)
Webinar panelists discuss Public and Private Sectors Teaming Up for Safe Food for a Healthy Tomorrow ahead of 7 June World Food Safety Day
Food assistance is at the heart of breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger, said Virginia Siebenrok, Head Food Safety and Quality at the UN World Food Programme. “We believe that the theme of this year’s World Food Safety Day – ‘Safe food now’ – and I need to underline the word ‘now’ – ‘for a healthy tomorrow’ resonates well with our mandate, she said, referring to the humanitarian organization that delivers food assistance in emergencies and works with local communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. “We cannot work in isolation,” she said, affirming that public-private partnerships are key to meeting WFP’s objectives.
Sarah Cahill of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat pointedly asked how we know that food is safe. “That is where the Codex Alimentarius comes in,” she said, recalling that the standards, codes of practice and guidelines are developed by governments with engagement of the private sector through Observers. Codex “is a partnership within the United Nations with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization being the parent organizations. It is a partnership among countries with 188 member countries and it is a partnership with inter and non-governmental bodies, private sector and civil society through its 239 observers,” said Cahill.
Outlining some of the ways GFSI facilitates public-private partnership, Anne Gerardi, GFSI Senior Project Manager with the Consumer Goods Forum, gave examples of data sharing, new technologies in information and communications. Food safety is better implemented when industry understand regulators, she explained, and GFSI is a place where we can share good practices.
Data collection, data sharing, engaging in conversation and collaboration are some of the ideas that emerged in the discussion of how the public and private sectors can work together to ensure food is safe.
Ahead of the GFSI conference on 23-25 March 2021, Gerardi invited participants to help draw attention to the world’s ‘food safety heroes’. A virtual exhibition space will allow participants to take pictures - the faces of food safety.
Watch a recording of the webinar: https://www.youtube.com/embed/X5vMHEIxwcU
Download the Guide to World Food Safety Day in
At the heart of the Codex mandate are the core values of collaboration, inclusiveness, consensus building and transparency. Governmental and non-governmental, public and private organizations alike play a vital role in ensuring Codex texts are of the highest quality and based on sound science.
Codex would have little authority in the field of international standard setting if it did not welcome and acknowledge the valuable contributions made by observers. Expert technical bodies, industry and consumer associations
contribute to the standard-setting process in a spirit of openness, collaboration and transparency.
Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can apply for observer status in Codex in order to attend and put forward their views at every stage of the standard-setting process.
Current Codex Alimentarius Commission
GFSI-led webinar opens the door to 2021 World Food Safety Day celebrations
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat gathered online for a conversation that centred on public-private partnerships, a form of collaboration that is essential to securing food safety globally. Erica Sheward, GFSI Director, set the stage for the 11 March 2021 webinar called “How the Public and Private Sectors are Teaming Up for Safe Food for a Healthy Tomorrow” by explaining why World Food Safety Day (7 June 2021) is important to GFSI.
Because safe food is directly linked with economic prosperity and sustainable development, GFSI is encouraging conversation about food safety, and World Food Safety Day presents an opportunity, she explained. GFSI, a 20-year-old initiative with a global multi-stakeholder community behind it, promotes the extensive collaboration needed to ensure a safe global food supply.
Food is unlike other consumer products, Markus Lipp, FAO Senior Food Safety Officer explained. “After air and water, people need food – it is critical for our survival,” he said. “We network eating food, we fall in love over food and food helps build family connections,” yet there are hazards to consuming food, he said, emphasizing that the public health burden of unsafe food is huge. He then went on to explain that everyone can do something to help raise awareness on World Food Safety Day, and to facilitate activities, FAO and WHO have produced a guide in six languages. (Links below)
Webinar panelists discuss Public and Private Sectors Teaming Up for Safe Food for a Healthy Tomorrow ahead of 7 June World Food Safety Day
Food assistance is at the heart of breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger, said Virginia Siebenrok, Head Food Safety and Quality at the UN World Food Programme. “We believe that the theme of this year’s World Food Safety Day – ‘Safe food now’ – and I need to underline the word ‘now’ – ‘for a healthy tomorrow’ resonates well with our mandate, she said, referring to the humanitarian organization that delivers food assistance in emergencies and works with local communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. “We cannot work in isolation,” she said, affirming that public-private partnerships are key to meeting WFP’s objectives.
Sarah Cahill of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat pointedly asked how we know that food is safe. “That is where the Codex Alimentarius comes in,” she said, recalling that the standards, codes of practice and guidelines are developed by governments with engagement of the private sector through Observers. Codex “is a partnership within the United Nations with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization being the parent organizations. It is a partnership among countries with 188 member countries and it is a partnership with inter and non-governmental bodies, private sector and civil society through its 239 observers,” said Cahill.
Outlining some of the ways GFSI facilitates public-private partnership, Anne Gerardi, GFSI Senior Project Manager with the Consumer Goods Forum, gave examples of data sharing, new technologies in information and communications. Food safety is better implemented when industry understand regulators, she explained, and GFSI is a place where we can share good practices.
Data collection, data sharing, engaging in conversation and collaboration are some of the ideas that emerged in the discussion of how the public and private sectors can work together to ensure food is safe.
Ahead of the GFSI conference on 23-25 March 2021, Gerardi invited participants to help draw attention to the world’s ‘food safety heroes’. A virtual exhibition space will allow participants to take pictures - the faces of food safety.
Watch a recording of the webinar: https://www.youtube.com/embed/X5vMHEIxwcU
Download the Guide to World Food Safety Day in
Codex and Observer
around the world since ancient times.
We might not always know where it comes from,
but we expect it to be available, safe and of good quality.
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