The number of food safety incidents involving an international network remained almost flat in the second quarter of 2022.
The International Food Safety Authority Network (INFOSAN) was part of 46 alerts from April to June this year, compared to 47 in the first quarter of 2022.
A total of 22 incidents involved a biohazard with Listeria monocytogenes causing eight and Salmonella causing seven. Norovirus was responsible for three and hepatitis A for one. In two cases, the danger has not yet been identified.
Seventeen warnings were due to an undeclared allergen or ingredient such as milk, shellfish, peanuts, almonds, eggs, gluten, hazelnuts, mustard, sesame or soy.
Five were due to chemical hazards such as aflatoxin, chlorpyrifos, histamine and alkaloids, and two involved physical hazards; one for metal and one for plastic.
Involvement in the Jif Peanut Butter Outbreak INFOSAN is managed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The most frequently included food categories were snacks, desserts and other foods, fish and other seafood, compound foods, and herbs, spices and seasonings.
Other warnings related to nuts and oilseeds, fruit products, vegetable products, meat products, grains and grain products, eggs, food additives, milk and milk products, and soft drinks.
More than half of the 46 incidents were reported to the Secretariat by INFOSAN members, a third through the Rapid Notification System of the European Commission for Food and Feed (RASFF), and the rest through other internal WHO channels.
Through the Emergency Contact Point (ECP) in the United States, the INFOSAN Secretariat was notified of an outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg with 16 cases linked to Jif peanut butter products and the associated recall by the company.
The products implicated in the outbreak were distributed internationally, but no illnesses have been reported in other countries.
Awareness INFOSAN participated in events in Nicaragua and Sudan to mark World Food Security Day on June 7.
In the first, INFOSAN’s role in preventing and responding to food safety emergencies was presented at the National Forum on Food Hygiene.
In Sudan, INFOSAN was part of a three-day virtual training on foodborne outbreak investigations with the assistance of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean/Regional Center for Environmental Health Action and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The training of the Sudanese authorities was aimed at building capacity to investigate and respond to food safety issues.
INFOSAN was also present at workshops and webinars in Serbia, Mexico and Guatemala.
Network staff attended a two-day workshop led by the WHO Western Balkan hub in Belgrade. Its purpose was to strengthen the capacity for rapid information exchange in food safety emergencies. The simulated exercise covered risk communication and INFOSAN processes and procedures. The participants talked about the main obstacles in the exchange of information in emergency situations and made recommendations for improvements.
A webinar was organized for the staff of the Federal Commission for the Protection of Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) in Mexico to introduce INFOSANA. Recent examples of food safety emergencies mediated and managed through the network were presented.
In April, the Guatemalan authorities attended a national workshop to improve participation in INFOSAN and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of members. In May, INFOSAN helped organize a meeting to improve Cambodia’s engagement with the network.
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