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Digital environment to support official food safety control during inspections









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    Digitalization of the food control system to measure food safety in Georgia 2024
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    Effective data collection during food control procedures by the public authorities is essential to ensure food safety and compliance with regulations. Using modern technology plays a vital role in acquiring information from food businesses, food control inspections, and other food control actions. Digital systems allow real-time assessment of the current food safety compliance levels, permit establishing baselines and trend analyses, and enable targeted actions as a response to the food control results. A well-functioning digital system can provide results from several food safety aspects, pointing out where there is room for improvement giving the food control authority tools to strive for better effectiveness of food control and food safety. Georgia, a country that earlier applied mainly a non-digital environment to collect and analyze food control data, has developed a digital system to modernize data acquisition in recent years. Until 2017 the National Food Agency received food control results from the regions on spreadsheets and text files. The collection of the data from the files was ineffective, cumbersome, and prone to mistakes. Authorities experienced problems in receiving timely data throughout the food chain including information on registrations of food businesses, inspection results, and any other relevant food safety data. This impaired the understanding of the food safety situation in Georgia and the development of food control. The new system, which has been in use since 2017 in the capital and since then expanded to the whole country. It contains up-to-date food safety data on food businesses and compliance. Georgia is further developing the digital system to include more information from the food chain, which will permit comprehensive analyses of the food safety state and food control effectiveness. This document was developed within the framework of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the University of Helsinki collaboration on the “Call for collecting good practices in improving food safety management”, launched in June 2022. This call aimed to empower organizations to showcase innovative solutions and good practices to improve specific aspects of food safety management in Europe and Central Asia. It facilitates experience sharing and co-learning amongst the Member countries in the region. Five good practices were identified under three categories:  i) Measuring the effectiveness of food control; ii) Solutions to support small-scale producers to comply with food safety requirements; iii)  Use of digital solutions to improve food safety management.
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    Measuring the state of food safety in Belgium with a food safety barometer 2024
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    This publication document discusses the development and implementation of a food safety barometer in Belgium. The purpose of the barometer is to measure the state of food safety in the country and enable evidence-informed risk management and policy decisions. The barometer consists of 30 indicators that cover various aspects of food safety from farm to fork. These indicators are based on expert opinions and contribute to the measurement of food safety in a science-based and broadly accepted manner. The barometer uses quantifiable indicators that are easily available and unambiguous. It relies on data collected from the control program of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) and the National Reference Centre for disease data. The indicators are expressed as positive or negative changes compared to the previous year and are also compared to a reference year to assess long-term progress in food safety. The development of the barometer involved collaboration with stakeholders representing the entire food chain, which ensured participation and gathering of the best knowledge. However, it also presented challenges due to different emphasis on food safety risks. The weighting of the indicators is subjective but based on expert opinions, and a more objective methodology could be developed in the future. The Food Safety Barometer has been a valuable tool in communicating food safety to stakeholders and consumers. It enables trend analyses and provides insights into the food safety system in Belgium. However, the dynamic nature of the food chain necessitates a flexible system that can adapt to changes in food safety risks and incorporate new indicators as needed. This document was developed within the framework of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and University of Helsinki collaboration on “Call for collecting good practices in improving food safety management”, launched in June 2022. This call aimed to empower organizations to showcase innovative solutions and good practices to improve specific aspects of food safety management in Europe and Central Asia. It facilitates experience sharing and co-learning amongst the Member countries in the region. Five good practices were identified under three categories:  i) Measuring effectiveness of food control; ii) Solutions to support small-scale producers to comply with food safety requirements; iii)  Use of digital solutions to improve food safety management.
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    Digital excellence in agriculture in Europe and Central Asia
    Good practices in the field of digital agriculture - Stocktaking report
    2021
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    The present report is the outcome of the joint call on good practices on Digital Excellence in Agriculture, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Office for Europe and Office for CIS and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Office for Europe and Central Asia. The document presents a summary version of the 171 eligible submissions of good practices and innovative solutions advancing the digital transformation of agriculture in Europe and Central Asia. This call complements the joint FAO-ITU review on the Status of Digital Agriculture in 18 countries of Europe and Central Asia (ITU-FAO, 2020)1 and provides evidence on how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) play an emerging role in the agriculture landscapes of the regions, acting as an engine for agricultural development. However, the adoption of digital technologies in agriculture differs from country to country, and from region to region. The review in the 18 countries highlighted that smallholder farmers have yet to experience the widespread benefits of this digital transformation, and they are lagging behind when it comes to the adoption of digital agriculture solutions and innovations due to lack of trust in the potential of ICTs, limited digital skills, connectivity issues and restricted availability of ICT-based solutions to utilize and scale up. Realizing the full potential of digital agriculture transformation requires identifying, sharing and implementing best practices and proven solutions across countries, involving all actors in participatory processes.

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