NUTRITION

Food Safety. On June 7, in the framework of the World Food Safety Day, the Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA, in Spanish), called on the countries of the region to implement measures that guarantee food safety in the entire production chain with the aim that consumers receive safe food. The expectation is that, facing the new normal, governments develop health protocols and public policies to guarantee food safety in logistics chains.

This year, PANAFTOSA placed special emphasis on the importance of protecting safety in traditional markets or fairs considered, from a public health perspective, the main focus of outbreaks and transmission of zoonotic diseases. In this line, the entity issued actions to be followed that reach all actors in the chain to promote safe food production.

In order to guarantee food safety, the governments of the region were urged to develop and implement regulations and inspections to prevent risks of disease and contagion. Among the points that were proposed by PANAFTOSA, it stands out the one that recommends business operators to ensure that food is transported, stored and processed safely, not only so that food is safe but also so that the nutritional value of the food is preserved.

Next steps: In Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), through its Regional Plan of Action for Technical Cooperation in Food Safety, which is coordinated by PANAFTOSA, is working with the countries of the region to strengthen food safety systems. The expectation is that, based on the recommendations issued by these organizations, the governments of the region will propose a joint line of action involving trade organizations, producers and representatives of the private sector, to work on new safety policies in the production chain.