Global forum recognizes food safety needs

WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convened the first ever global forum for food safety regulators from 28 to 30 January in Marrakech, Morocco. To find better ways to fight food-borne disease, 300 participants from 104 countries and 20 international organizations spent the three days exchanging information and discussing their experience with strategies and systems for improving food safety. Though not designed to produce recommendations, the forum reflected global recognition of the need for safety measures throughout the food production chain, from farmer and fisherman to consumer. It was also clear that all stakeholders should be involved in the regulatory process, and that it should be based on the risk analysis approach.