06 FOOD SAFETY

A functional system is in place for surveillance and response capacity of States Parties for foodborne disease and food contamination risks, or food safety events, with effective communication and collaboration among sectors responsible for food safety.

IMPACT:

Timely detection and effective response to mitigate food safety emergencies, in collaboration with relevant sectors responsible for food safety.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION:

(1) Existence of indicator-based disease surveillance (IBS) or event-based disease surveillance (EBS) and supporting laboratory analysis to detect and assign an aetiology for foodborne diseases or origin of contamination event and investigate hazards in foods linked to cases, outbreaks or events. (2) Existence of a national food safety emergency plan. (3) Existence of a designated International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) emergency contact point and a WOAH focal point on animal production food safety with a central coordination mechanism in place.

Benchmark 6.1

Surveillance systems are in place for the detection and monitoring of foodborne diseases and food contamination

Objective To strengthen surveillance systems for foodborne diseases and food contamination

01 NO CAPACITY

  1. No or very limited surveillance system in place for foodborne disease or for food contamination (chemical and microbiological) monitoring.

02 LIMITED CAPACITY

  1. Review foodborne disease surveillance and food contamination monitoring capacity to assess gaps and needs, and examine diseases and syndromes already under surveillance in the country that may indicate foodborne diseases. *
  2. Develop guidelines and SOPs for the detection of foodborne events through indicator-/event-based disease surveillance. *
  3. Establish indicator-based disease surveillance for notifiable syndromes and diseases such as diarrhoea (i.e. develop a database to store data, alert thresholds, regular analysis of notifiable diseases, cause analysis of undetectable outbreaks, documentation and protocol/SOPs). *
  4. Establish event-based disease surveillance (i.e. identify national focal point, specify if the event being reported is suspected as foodborne, train health workers to recognize and report foodborne events). *
  5. Adapt the rapid risk assessment (RRA) process to accommodate foodborne diseases and conduct at the national level. *
  6. Identify a mechanism or multisector team with relevant agencies to coordinate the development and implementation of foodborne disease surveillance, food contamination monitoring system(s), data sharing and staff that can contribute to RRAs. *
  7. Identify high risk settings such as farms, industries, points of entry, markets, mass gathering events, etc. that require specific attention and focus on food safety control and consumer safety and protection. *
  8. Review the legal framework for surveillance and monitoring of foodborne diseases and food contamination to ensure alignment between the human and animal health sectors, food business operators and food safety legislation. *
  9. Train food/sanitary inspectors to report event.
  10. Train animal health inspectors to report the occurrence of zoonotic diseases that could be foodborne.

03 DEVELOPED CAPACITY

  1. Continue to implement actions (as suggested above) for both indicator- and event-based disease surveillance systems at national and subnational levels where possible (subnational). *
  2. Establish laboratory-based surveillance (i.e. select priority foodborne pathogens, sampling protocols, detection methodologies, database for laboratory-based surveillance data and data reporting protocols). *
  3. Develop a strategy to monitor trends and detect foodborne events, and incorporate strategy into the national communicable disease surveillance strategy. *
  4. Provide resources for the investigation of foodborne disease or food contamination events at the national level. This should include investigations into hazards in foods linked to cases, outbreaks or events. *
  5. Designate one/multiple national reference centre(s) with appropriate geographical coverage across the country to support the surveillance and response system. *
  6. Develop an IT system for recording, analysing and sharing data collected during detection and monitoring of foodborne diseases and food contamination at the national and subnational levels. *
  7. Organize informational and educational campaigns to raise awareness in communities and sensitize partners and journalists on the management of foodborne diseases and food contamination in the country, through relevant sectors/partners. *
  8. Develop an operational communication mechanism including relevant stakeholders for food safety in the country. *
  9. Train laboratory and health workers on obligations to report notifiable diseases, including those with non-diarrhoeal symptoms.
  10. Expand the existing notifiable disease surveillance database to receive notifications about individual cases from health workers and laboratories.

04 DEMONSTRATED CAPACITY

  1. Develop an integrated food chain surveillance system that allows integration of information from foodborne diseases and food contamination surveillance systems into health information systems. *
  2. Designate and train staff to conduct RRA for foodborne diseases at the national and subnational levels with use of in-country laboratory data. Food safety and laboratory staff should be standing members of RRA teams when an event is suspected to be foodborne. *
  3. Increase use of in-country laboratory surveillance data to inform assessments and increase confidence in the overall risk assessment through data that is more extensive, reliable, complete and high quality. *
  4. Conduct joint risk assessments of acute foodborne events (chemical and microbiological), publish periodic reports (e.g. an epidemiological bulletin) and identify appropriate risk management strategies through multisectoral involvement. *
  5. Contribute to International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) activities to share information internationally. *
  6. Share molecular patterns of relevant pathogens in an international database to support detection of foodborne outbreaks. *
  7. Conduct SimEx/AAR/IAR (as relevant) to test the functionality of capacities for detection and monitoring of foodborne diseases and food contamination *

05 SUSTAINABLE CAPACITY

  1. Analyse the integrated food chain surveillance system for food regulators conducting risk analysis in accordance with Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines. *
  2. Maintain the level of function and expand the list of pathogens under integrated food chain surveillance, and periodically update the priority list of foodborne diseases or syndromes for regulated procedures of surveillance and reporting. *
  3. Regularly update stakeholder ToRs, strategies, SOPs and training packages for detection and monitoring of foodborne diseases and food contamination based on lessons learned and ensure that recommendations from M&E activities are implemented. *
  4. Facilitate a governance structure that allows data to be shared and includes a coordination and communication mechanism. *
  5. Regularly document and share country experiences across relevant sectors in surveillance and detection of foodborne diseases, food contamination, food fraud and non-compliance issues, and participate in international initiatives to strengthen capacities globally. *
  6. Identify gaps in knowledge and conduct relevant research studies to supplement surveillance and monitoring data. *
  7. Apply whole genome sequencing techniques to foodborne disease surveillance and food monitoring. *

Benchmark 6.2

A functional mechanism is in place for the response and management of food safety emergencies

Objective To strengthen mechanisms for response and management of food safety emergencies

01 NO CAPACITY

  1. No mechanism for the response and management of food safety emergencies has been established or is in place, or is very limited.

02 LIMITED CAPACITY

  1. Review the legal framework for the response and management of food safety emergencies at the national and subnational levels. *
  2. Identify and map key government agencies and cross-sector partners for roles and responsibilities in response and management of food safety emergencies and contribution to RRAs. *
  3. Develop a response plan, SOPs and guidelines for national food safety emergencies. *
  4. Develop capacity to gather epidemiological and laboratory evidence during a response (i.e. train outbreak response teams to conduct investigation, collect information to identify source of outbreak, conduct event database analysis, develop a list of priority foodborne hazards and identify testing laboratories). *
  5. Identify relevant medicines and medical products for preventing and treating priority foodborne diseases and food contamination events that could potentially cause an outbreak. *
  6. Regularly share data on food safety emergency management with national health authorities and include in the national health database. *
  7. Involve foodborne diseases experts in developing NHPSPs to define the country's vision, policy directions and strategies for ensuring strengthening of capacity to manage foodborne diseases before, during and after emergencies. *
  8. Designate an INFOSAN emergency point of contact in the government agency responsible for the response and management of food safety emergencies and establish a communication system with the IHR NFP during food safety emergencies. The parties are encouraged to refer to the IHR/INFOSAN communication template. *
  9. Identify and map high risk settings for food safety emergencies
  10. Develop and share advocacy materials (by relevant sectors) to engage experts and raise community awareness about mechanisms to respond to priority zoonotic diseases, foodborne diseases and food contamination events.

03 DEVELOPED CAPACITY

  1. Update the response plan, SOPs and guidance to include findings from analytical epidemiological studies conducted during food safety emergencies at both national and subnational levels. *
  2. Draft new legislation or amend existing legislation to strengthen the legal basis for the response and management of food safety emergencies at the national and subnational levels. *
  3. Disseminate SOPs and guidelines for the response and management of food safety emergencies across stakeholder networks. *
  4. Develop strategies and guidance for orienting and communicating with partners, stakeholders, the general public, international organizations and applicable regional and international networks on food safety guidelines. *
  5. Develop and disseminate risk communication messages to the public, through appropriate media, during food safety emergencies. *
  6. Develop a food recall system (SOP) involving all relevant stakeholders (including the private sector) and include procedures and regulations establishing traceability and recall systems and routine inspections that take place after a recall. *
  7. Put in place specific questionnaires to be used to obtain a food history from cases during an outbreak to identify outbreak sources, with questionnaires covering priority foodborne pathogens. *
  8. Include new modules (based on change/adaptation needs assessment) in the training curricula for relevant health workers that cover the management of priority/novel foodborne emergencies. Define certifications and renumeration for trained health workers as required. *
  9. Designate INFOSAN focal points with responsibility for food safety at appropriate levels in government agencies to form a multisectoral working group for coordination, response and communication with IHR NFP (ensure there is at least one focal point designated from public health, food inspection, veterinary, official laboratory, customs and quarantine and agriculture sectors). *

04 DEMONSTRATED CAPACITY

  1. Report regularly to the national public health authorities all relevant information and updates on the management of foodborne incidents and emergencies in the country (and outside the country). *
  2. Collect and collate routine health data, and regularly analyse data on management of foodborne diseases across the country. *
  3. Conduct SimEx/AAR (as relevant) for foodborne events to test the capacity of surveillance and monitoring systems and include relevant sectors (animal health, environment, food business operators, etc). *
  4. Establish a mechanism for regular information sharing between the INFOSAN emergency contact point, the INFOSAN Secretariat, the IHR NFP, INFOSAN focal points and relevant sectors during a food safety emergency on the national and international level. *
  5. Test information sharing mechanisms at the international and global regional levels by performing SimEx/AAR (as relevant) on a regular basis. *
  6. Participate, all relevant parties (i.e. INFOSAN emergency contact point, INFOSAN focal points and the IHR NFP), in national workshops organized by the INFOSAN Secretariat to establish a roadmap to strengthen communication between involved parties and with the INFOSAN Secretariat. *
  7. Organize and support cross-sectoral risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) initiatives to strengthen the participation and commitment of the community, food chain actors from public and private sectors (including the informal economy), and strategic and technical partners in the response and management of food safety emergencies at the national and subnational levels.

05 SUSTAINABLE CAPACITY

  1. Document and disseminate lessons and best practices for timeliness, information exchange, public health risk messaging, efficiency and effectiveness of response, collaboration and communication for food safety events. *
  2. Review and update management and response plans and relevant legislation based on findings from SimEx/AAR (as relevant). *
  3. Continuously monitor medicines and medical products for preventing and treating priority foodborne diseases to track adverse reactions, side effects and benefits over time. *
  4. Share country experience in response and management of food safety emergencies and participate in international initiatives to strengthen capacities globally. *
  5. Conduct an audit on membership and update the designation of INFOSAN emergency contact points and focal points as needed. *

* Participation and contribution of other sectors to action.

Tools