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Statistics Related to Food
Safety and Quality
Food and Nutrition Division.
FAO.
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Content
Need of data and information at national
and international levels
Type of data needed
Current availability of data
Existing problems and limitations
Recommendations
Data / information use at national
level
Risk based systems for food control along
the food chain
Food-borne disease and diet-related
chronic diseases surveillance and control
programs
Interrelationship between food safety, food
quality and adequate and nutritious food
Formulation of health, agriculture and
trade policies
Data / information use at
international level
FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
Additives (JECFA): food additives,
contaminants, natural ocurring toxicants
and residues of veterinary drug residues
FAO/WHO Experts Meetings on
microbiological hazards in food (JEMRA)
Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide
Residues (JMPR)
Ad hoc expert consultations
Type of data needed
Different in accordance with the specific
purpose of a particular activity or
measure.
Different at different steps of the food
chain
Could include technical and economic
data for cost-benefit analysis
Data needs: Food production,
consumption and trade
Food production, import/exports: identification
of priority products requiring major attention for
both nutrition and food control purposes
Food consumption: evaluation/prediction of
potential hazards for particular target
population.
Food trade: detention/rejection of foodstuffs –
facilitate international trade and consumer
protection from imported/exported products.
Data needs: Risk assessment
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Prevalence and/or concentration of the hazard in food
Data on effect of various steps and processes of the
food chain in the fate of the microorganism or chemical
hazard in food
Information on the human health impact of exposure to
the hazard in different populations
Possible source of contaminants and mechanisms of
contamination
Epidemiological and toxicological studies
Dietary exposure: national dietary intake and national
monitoring basket surveys.
Data needs: GMO’s
Consumption of genetically modified foods
Allergenicity associated
Volume and value of GM food products
traded
Results of certification programs
Traceability/product tracing of GM
products and post market monitoring
Some international data sources
FAOSTAT: agricultural production
statistics, food balance sheets, trade flow,
Codex Alimentarius MRL’s for pesticide
and veterinary drug residues
Global Environment Monitoring System.
Food Contamination Monitoring and
Assessment Program: GEMS/Food
FAO/UNU International Network of Food
Data Systems (INFOODS)-LATINFOODS.
Sources of data at regional and
national levels
Food contamination monitoring programs
Food consumption surveys
Good agricultural and manufacturing
practices programs
Surveillance programs
Problems to be addressed
Data from certain countries is sparse or
lacking all together
Existing data is sometime not available
due difficulties to identify proper source or
due confidentiality issues
Data in scientific literature is incomplete
Disaggregate data is not available or
information on sampling/analytical
methods of analysis are lacking
Harmonization needs
New data needs to be generated using standard
methodology:
Sampling protocols
Validated analytical techniques
Appropriate data analysis methods and
approaches
Development of statistical models which has the
potential to allow greater use of limited data and
prevent data incompatibility problems.
Actions to be promoted
Strengthen and integrate statistical data
for food safety purposes.
Promote integration of data from foodborne surveillance programs, food
monitoring contamination programs and
national food consumption pattern data.
Better communicate benefits of integrated
use of data
Recommendations
Develop/enhance networks to facilitate the
collection of data for use in food safety
related work
Enhance capacity building programs to
assist developing countries in their efforts
Promote public/private partnership to
enhance these capacity building efforts
Recommendation
Countries from the region to make concrete
steps towards identification/integration of
data needed for food safety and quality
purposes and the harmonization of the
methodologies with international efforts in
this area.
Additional information
FAO
Food and Nutrition Division
http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/index_en.stm#