CALL FOR EXPERTS AND CALL FOR DATA – ROME, ITALY 12-15 MAY 2015
A rapidly growing population, along with an increase in urbanization and income are driving
the demand for foods of animal origin. The consumption of animal products is estimated to be possibly 70% higher in 2050 than today. Concurrently, the demand for animal feed2 will continue to go up with an increase in the food-feed-fuel competition and in food prices. Measures to reduce imbalanced consumption of animal products, to produce food and feed more efficiently and to reduce food and feed losses and wastes are necessary to face this challenge.
The challenge is not only to meet the growing demand for animal feed but also to ensure its safety. Animal feed safety impacts on animal health, welfare and productivity, the health of feed producers, handlers and users, as well as the safety of the human food supply and the livelihood of farmers. Safe feed helps to reduce production costs, maintains or increases food quality and reduces food losses and wastes. Animal feed is an integral part of the food chain and its safety has been recognized as a shared value and a shared responsibility.
Work on the application of the risk analysis framework provided by Codex in the field of animal feed has facilitated the further understanding of the role of animal feed safety on public health and of the importance of risk-based measures to prevent and control hazards. Hazards may
be introduced through feed ingredients or via carryover or contamination during production, handling, storage and transportation. The presence of a hazard may also result from accidental or deliberate (e.g. fraud) human intervention. Hazards associated with animal feed can be of
a biological, chemical or physical nature and include pathogenic microorganisms, mycotoxins, heavy metals, dioxins, dibenzofurans and PCBs, residues of veterinary drugs and pesticides, and radionuclides. New hazards may be associated with novel and unconventional feed and feed ingredients which are entering the production chain e.g. agro-industrial by-products (such as those of the biofuel industry), insects, food processing by-products, food wastes, etc.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted the Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding (CAC/RCP 54-2004) in 2004. The CAC has also adopted in 2013 Guidelines on the Application of Risk Assessment for Feed (CAC/GL 80-2013) and Guidance for Governments on Prioritizing Hazards in Feed (CAC/GL 81-2013). After completing work on these two documents, the Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding, noting the availability and ongoing emergence of new information in feed of relevance to human health, requested FAO and WHO to update the findings of the 2007 FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Animal Feed Impact on Food Safety3. In order to address this FAO and WHO will review the current knowledge on hazards related to animal feed contaminants and through the implementation of an Expert Meeting provide advice and orientation on this issue to Member Countries, to FAO and WHO
To read the full statement, you can download the original FAO/WHO PDF by clicking HERE.
