INFOSAN Activity Report 2018/2019

Book excerpt: INFOSAN has been connecting national authorities worldwide since 2004. Its goal has been to prevent the international spread of contaminated food and foodborne disease and strengthen food safety systems globally. This has been done by 1. promoting the rapid exchange of information during food safety events; 2. sharing information on important food safety issues of global interest; 3. promoting partnership and collaboration between countries and networks; and 4. helping countries to strengthen their capacity to manage food safety emergencies. Since its inception, the INFOSAN Secretariat has facilitated international communications between members during hundreds of food safety events; including 162 during the 2018/2019 biennium, double the number of events dealt with in the previous biennium. This INFOSAN Activity Report provides an overview of the major events, activities and information products relating to INFOSAN in 2018/2019. The report highlights some achievements from the biennium, as well as challenges to overcome and areas for improvement. INFOSAN aims to be a member-driven network and thus a united and sustained effort must be made by all INFOSAN members for the network to reach its full potential.