Review of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Strategic Priorities on Food Safety 2023

Abstract

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) endorsed its strategic framework for the period 2022–2031 during the 42nd session of the FAO conference held on 18 June 2021. The new framework for the period 2022–2031 seeks to support the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development through the transformation of agri-food systems in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The FAO strategic framework 2022–2031 was developed in the context of significant global and regional challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In developing the strategic framework, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) outlined Programme priority areas (PPAs) that describe how FAO’s work on food safety will contribute to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in alignment with FAO’s strategic framework 2022–2031. The strategic priorities are, in turn, organised into four strategic outcomes, which are interconnected and interdependent to achieve FAO’s vision of ‛safe food for all people at all times’.

1. Introduction

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Strategic Framework 2022–2031 was endorsed on 18 June 2021 at the 42nd Session of FAO Conference [1]. The FAO conference is the supreme decision-making body that brings together all FAO members. Currently, FAO membership comprises 194 countries plus the European Union.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that was formed in 1945 in Quebec City, Canada, when the first session of the then newly created United Nations established the FAO with the mandate of leading international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.

Since 2010, all of FAO’s work has been guided by a strategic framework, which is usually prepared for a period of 10 to 15 years and is reviewed every 4 years [1]. The new framework for the period 2022–2031 seeks to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), which are global objectives that succeeded the millennium development goals on 1 January 2016 (Figure 1) [2, 3].

Figure 1.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) [3].

Food safety is a critical prerequisite to ensure that all humans can enjoy a better life and better nutrition. Food safety is defined as ‘the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use’ [4]. Unsafe food potentially makes consumers ill and can substantially contribute to food loss and food waste. Unsafe food causes an estimated 600 million cases of food-borne diseases (FBDs) every year, as well as 420,000 annual deaths [5].

Securing food safety is essential in advancing health, livelihoods, trade, economic growth and overall prosperity. The FAO strategic framework 2022–2031 places food safety at the core and was developed in the context of major global and regional challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. It was developed through an inclusive, transparent process involving extensive internal and external consultations, governing body meetings and informal consultations. The FAO strategic framework 2022-31 articulates FAO’s vision of a sustainable and food-secure world for all, in the context of the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development.

2. The four B’s

The FAO strategic framework 2022–2031 seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation of agri-food systems for the attainment of FAO’s four aspirations namely: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. These four aspirations by FAO represent an organising principle for how FAO intends to contribute directly to the sustainable development goals. They reflect the interconnected economic, social and environmental dimensions of agri-food systems, and they also encourage a strategic and systems-oriented approach within all FAO’s interventions (Figure 2) [6].

Figure 2.

The four betters [6].

2.1 The priorities and outcomes of the strategic framework

In developing the strategic framework 2022–2031, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) outlined what is termed programme priority areas (PPAs), which were endorsed by the FAO Council in December 2022 [1]. These PPAs describe how FAO’s work on food safety will contribute to the 2030 Agenda in alignment with FAO’s strategic framework 2022–2031. FAO’s food safety priorities lie in four main strategic areas which are:

1. Strong multi-stakeholder governance for food safety

2. Strong science to support food safety decisions

3. Strong national food control systems

4. Strong public-private cooperation for food safety

In turn, the strategic priorities are organised into four strategic outcomes are equally necessary to achieve FAO’s vision of delivering ‘Safe food for all people at all times’ (Table 1) [1].

Strategic outcome 1	Intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder engagement in intersectoral coordination of food safety governance is reinforced at all levels.
Strategic outcome 2	Sound scientific advice and evidence are provided as the foundation for food safety decision-making.
Strategic outcome 3	National food control systems are further strengthened and are continuously improved.
Strategic outcome 4	Public and private stakeholder collaboration is promoted to ensure food safety management and controls throughout agri-food systems.

Table 1.

The four strategic outcomes of the strategic priorities for food safety.

2.1.1 Strategic outcome 1: Intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder engagement in intersectoral coordination of food safety governance is reinforced at all levels

The first strategic outcome of FAO’s strategic framework 2022–2031 is aimed at the reinforcing intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder engagement in the governance of food safety. FAO aims to achieve this by providing tailored support to all FAO members and all other stakeholders. This support is characterised by guidance and technical support on various aspects of food safety, including normative, governance, science and policy matters. Aimed at realising this outcome, FAO in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) has worked to provide technical support and guidance in the form of food standards through the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The standards developed by the Codex Alimentarius provide guidance to stakeholders, and members meant to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in food trade. FAO is also one of the three international standard setting organisations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement. It works on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) and commits itself to continue providing support and actively contributing to intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder engagement in intersectoral coordination of food safety governance.

2.1.2 Strategic outcome 2: Sound scientific advice and evidence are provided as the foundation for food safety decision-making

FAO in collaboration with WHO has been providing neutral and independent scientific advice as the basis for the international food safety standards, guidelines and codes of practice established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and for supporting the development of modern food control systems by national authorities [7]. This Scientific Advice programme for food safety has been the authoritative global point of reference for evidence-based scientific information on food safety. FAO and WHO remain committed to providing scientific advice related to food safety and nutrition in response to specific requests from member countries, from Codex Committees or occasionally from specific programmes within FAO and WHO, through different mechanisms [8]. Sound scientific advice is crucial in the setting of food standards such as those developed by the Codex Alimentarius. The Codex, commonly referred to as the “food code’, contains internationally agreed standards, applicable throughout the food supply chain [9]. Its purpose is to protect health and facilitate trade. Through the work of the Codex Alimentarius, more than 300 standards, guidelines and codes of practice have been developed and regularly updated [10].

2.1.3 Strategic outcome 3: National food control systems are further strengthened and are continuously improved

Around the world, most countries have established what is known as national food control systems, which have the dual objective of protecting the health of consumers and enabling fair practices in food trade. These control systems ensure that food available within a country is safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption, conforms to food safety and quality requirements and is honestly and accurately labelled as prescribed by the law of each respective country. They, in turn, protect the health and safety of consumers and help assure the safety and quality of foods being traded both nationally and internationally. It has, however, been observed that some countries have systems that are not strengthened due to a lack of stable and predictable funding to update the skills of their staff in the food control systems [11]. FA has recognised that more effort is needed to be made to build capacities to plan, monitor, evaluate and further strengthen food control programmes in a way that can create a continuous cycle of improvement. Through the strategic outcome 3, FAO intends to assist member countries to strengthen their national food control systems. It aims to achieve this outcome by providing technical support to FAO members to evaluate their national food control systems, identify needs and design integrated capacity development programmes; to support FAO members in developing and updating their food safety standards, legal frameworks and government policies, as well as operational level procedures and guidelines and to support FAO members and relevant stakeholders to embrace relevant technological developments, including digital technologies, in food control and food safety management [12].

2.1.4 Strategic outcome 4: Public and private stakeholder collaboration is promoted to ensure food safety management and controls throughout agri-food systems

The Food and Agriculture Organisation acknowledges that the only way to ensure food safety is if everyone involved in the whole food chain is aware of and actively works to maintain the safety of food. Both public organisations and private entities should collaborate to advance science, innovate food production and processing and advance effective operational food safety management. In addition, food safety must be achieved in a proactive way rather than in a reactive manner. It is crucial that food safety be managed in accordance with preventative principles, and thus be included in the design and implementation of overarching food-related programmes. The Food and Agriculture Organisation intends to help foster public and private stakeholder collaboration by supporting both governments and food chain actors in adopting gender-responsive and inclusive programmes of preventative food safety control and management. It also intends to support initiatives aiming to create training programmes and curricula that better reflect the complexity of food safety and the need for collaborations across disciplines and aims to provide the tools and resources for stakeholders to make informed choices and adopt food safety interventions that are specific to their countries’ priorities, safety risks and their constituents’ differentiated needs.

2.1.5 How developing countries fit in FAO’s framework

Global International trade in food and agriculture more than doubled in value between 1995 and 2018 to US$1.5 trillion on the back of technological improvements and lower trade barriers, which both helped to spur the growth of global value chains [13]. Over a third of exports now cross borders at least twice before reaching consumers [14]. This explosion in trade has widened supply and boosted opportunities to improve livelihoods. But it has also put a renewed focus on food safety standards as higher volumes of perishable goods move across borders. Food safety concerns look certain to become a growing international priority, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has further highlighted the connections between health, the environment and development. The harmonisation of food safety standards across borders, for example, or tracing the origins of food in a timely manner, is now much more demanding processes.

The African continent, for example, hosts the world’s largest free trade area, called AfCFTA, which brings together the 55 countries of the African Union (AU) and eight (8) regional economic communities (RECs) [15]. As part of its mandate, the AfCFTA seeks to eliminate trade barriers and boost intra-Africa trade. It is of no surprise that much of this liberalised trade will be in food because of largely agricultural-based economies in most African countries [15]. This food needs to be safe as consumers will be more exposed to a mixture of imported and locally produced food, from an ever more diverse supply chain. Liberalisation of food trade across African countries can potentially present difficulties for national authorities in charge of food controls, who lack direct oversight of the production processes of foreign trading partners. Thus, the opening up and integration of diverse markets requires more cooperation to prevent food-related risks such as food-borne diseases (FBDs). Meeting requirements for paperless trade and certification may also be a challenge, especially in developing countries and blocs such as the AfCTA. Through its strategic priorities on food safety, FAO intends to support government authorities, international organisations and partners to promote fair trade practices, stimulate dialogue between importing and exporting countries and offer guidance on assessing food control mechanisms. FAO has already set the precedence in this, for example, through its ambitious project with six AfCTA members comprising Comoros, Eswatini, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda and Seychelles in assessing national food control systems [14]. Funded by the European Union, this project has already shown itself to be a uniquely valuable learning process for government authorities, academics, consumer organisations and the private sector and has helped to ensure that the food control systems in the six case countries have sufficient capacity in food control. Encouraging the strong participation of developing countries such as those in the AfCFTA is key in achieving the goals and aspirations set out by the FAO strategic framework 2022–2031 (Figure 3) [15].

Figure 3.

Quick facts about the African continental free trade area [15].

The BRICS economic bloc is another example, where FAO’s strategic framework 2023 is highly applicable. The BRICS countries comprise Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and represent the largest developing economies [13, 16]. Data shows that, as of the year 2020, the BRICS nations as a whole now contribute more towards Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than the G7 industrialised nations (The G7 comprises of the US, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, Italy and Canada), in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). PPPs are the ratio of prices in national currencies of the same goods or services in different countries (Figure 4) [17, 18].

Figure 4.

BRICS leaders during the 2019 G20 Osaka summit [17].

In addition, the BRICS countries produce more than a third of the global agricultural output and have a significant role and responsibility in ensuring the sustainability of the agriculture and food sector, global food security and nutrition [19]. By ways of deepening agricultural cooperation and promoting comprehensive development of rural areas, the member countries take actions for increased resilience of agriculture, rural areas and farmers. The BRICS also holds 42 percent of the world’s population [20], and with that, the bloc is in a position to shape agricultural policies that would strengthen global food security and transform rural societies and livelihoods. FAO already has excellent working relations with all BRICS countries, and to strengthen this collaboration even further, the organisation stands ready to advise on the policies and technologies that can contribute to achieving the SDGs and make our generation the zero hunger generation.

3. Conclusion

The world needs safer, more affordable and healthier diets for all produced in a sustainable manner along with the equitable improvement of economic outcomes and livelihoods. Emerging technologies and new food production systems, such as cell-based food production, 3D-printed food, aquaponics and vertical urban agriculture, may hold some of the answers we seek. Likewise, the global adoption of foods that were previously unique to some parts of the world, such as seaweed, algae, jellyfish or edible insects, may contribute solutions. The FAO strategic framework underlies that to achieve global food safety, cooperation and collaboration is key. The strategic priorities stem from FAO’s important achievements in food safety, including those undertaken within the 2014 FAO Food Safety Strategy, and made possible thanks to its collaboration with partners. The strategic priorities focus on building stronger and more coordinated global, national and regional food safety and quality governance. It is everyone’s hope that FAO’s Strategic Priorities for Food Safety 2022–2031 will leverage FAO’s convening power to foster trust, collaboration and results that are in the spirit of the agri-food systems that members adhere to. It will require all hands on deck in order to deliver ‛Safe food for all people at all times’. The framework will support the transformation of the agri-food systems to meet the challenge of making safe and diverse food accessible to a global population of 10 billion people, 70 percent of whom are expected to be living in cities by 2050 [6].

Acknowledgments

Special acknowledgement goes to my dear family (Mom, Dominic, Theresa and Lawrence) and my colleague Mr. Herbert Kazonda for the mutual support rendered during this and other projects.