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Food safety in the time of COVID-19











​FAO. 2020. Food Safety in the time of COVID-19. Rome.



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    Investigating potential recombination of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 or other coronaviruses in camels
    Supplementary recommendations for the epidemiological investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in exposed animals
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    Dromedary camels are the main reservoir for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Genetic analysis of MERS-CoV isolates from humans and dromedaries revealed that direction of transmission is from camels to humans. Furthermore, several studies reported evidence of camel infection by other human CoVs, animal CoVs or unknown coronaviruses. There is evidence of recombination between different betacoronaviruses in camels. Analysis of the Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2) binding in dromedaries predicted potential binding affinity to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor binding domain (RBD), however some other studies predicted the contrary. With the pandemic spread of SARS-CoV-2, it is not a matter of if but rather when camels will be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in these countries. Co-circulation of both viruses in the same host can favour virus recombination, and may lead to increased virulence in animals and/or humans if the recombinant virus incorporates pathogenicity of MERS-CoV with the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2. Further investigations into camel susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the possibility for recombination between MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 or other coronaviruses in camels, and the associated zoonotic potential are therefore urgently required to ensure early-detection of such events.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Food safety guidelines: Keeping workers safe along the food supply chain in acutely food insecure contexts
    Webinar – 30 June 2021: Summary points, questions and answers
    2021
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    Keeping food and food workers safe is even more complex during a global pandemic crisis and all stakeholders must contribute to maintaining 360 degree oversight of every aspect of the food supply chain. Workers in the food supply chain play an indispensable role in sustaining the movement of food along the supply chain. Therefore, keeping workers, production facilities, transport infrastructure and all other areas in the supply chain safe, is critical for mitigating the impacts of this unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in a longstanding partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), is involved in a range of initiatives to support global food safety and protect the health of both consumers and workers. As part of the comprehensive COVID-19 response and recovery programme, FAO and its partners are working to prevent the pandemic from disrupting food systems. While COVID-19 is not transmitted by food products, disruptions precipitated by the primary and secondary effects of the pandemic have put food supplies at risk all over the world, while simultaneously raising awareness on food safety-related issues. Concerted efforts on the food supply chain and more specifically the health and safety of workers, will help the most food insecure countries mitigate the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic and boost resilience for the long term by facilitating food and agricultural trade, preventing the spreading of any future zoonotic pandemic and helping the transition of the food systems towards sustainability. FAO, in the publication "Food safety in the time of COVID-19", provides sound principles of environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and established food safety practices to reduce the likelihood that harmful pathogens will threaten the safety of the food supply. Additionally, component IV of FAO’s COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan is supporting awareness raising and sensitization campaigns among food workers at all levels. Against this background, the webinar aimed at bringing together an array of diverse partners and experts to discuss issues surrounding occupational health and safety risks along the food supply chain. The discussion focused on food safety guidelines as well as the experiences and learnings from different contexts among the most acutely food insecure countries.
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    Book (series)
    Assessment and management of seafood safety and quality: current practices and emerging issues
    Current practices and emerging issues
    2014
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    This technical paper compiles the state of knowledge on seafood safety and quality with the aim to provide a succinct yet comprehensive resource book to seafood quality and safety managers, including topics on emerging issues such as new pathogens, the impact of climate change on seafood safety, and the changing regulatory framework. After introductory chapters about world fish production, trade, consumption and nutrition, and about the developments in safety and quality systems, the technical p aper devotes a chapter to a detailed review of the hazards causing public health concerns in fish and fish products, covering biological (pathogenic bacteria, histamine, viruses, parasites and biotoxins), chemical (veterinary drugs, industrial organic contaminants, environmental inorganic contaminants and allergens) and physical hazards. This is followed by a chapter on seafood spoilage and quality issues, while a further chapter covers the likely impact of climate change on seafood safety. The latter chapter focuses on impacts on microbiological safety and on harmful algal blooms. A further chapter provides a detailed coverage of the implementation and certification of seafood safety systems covering risk mitigation and management tools, with a detailed description of the requirements for the implementation of: good hygiene practices and good manufacturing practices; the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system; and the monitoring programmes to control biotoxins, pat hogenic bacteria and viruses and chemical pollutants. It concludes with a section on private labelling and certification schemes. The subsequent chapter details the international framework, covering the World Trade Organization, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and the World Organisation for Animal Health. It then presents the regulatory frameworks governing seafood trade in the European Union (Member Organization), the United States of Americ a, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

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