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https://food.blog.gov.uk/2021/03/12/collaboration-and-international-co-operation-insights-from-our-international-food-regulatory-analysis-conference/

Collaboration and international co-operation - Insights from our International Food Regulatory Analysis Conference

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International Food Regulatory Conference 2021

Cymraeg

Vanna Aldin, our Chief Economist and Head of the Analytics Unit, takes us through some of the highlights from our recent International Food Regulatory Analysis conference on the science and research being used to tackle the challenges facing the food landscape.

 

The year 2020-21 marks a year of milestones for the Food Standards Agency (FSA). It was our twentieth anniversary as a food regulator. It was also the year in which we left the European Union (EU), meaning that the FSA, together with Food Standards Scotland (FSS), has taken on additional responsibilities for food safety and standards in the UK.

As we reflected on our past and looked to the future, it seemed like the perfect time to launch our first International Food Regulatory Analysis Conference.

When we started to think about planning the conference over a year ago, we could not have predicted the third milestone: COVID-19 and the impact it would have, not only on our food system, but also on how we operate. It was a focus of many of the presentations across the two days, and the consequences of the pandemic across the world were seen through our speakers presenting to us from their homes instead of a traditional conference centre.

I’d like to thank our 50 speakers who took part from 10 countries around the world, as well as our delegates, many of whom also dialled in outside of their working hours to attend. The international cross-timezone nature of the conference was suitably marked with most speakers opening their presentations with the greeting 'Good morning, good afternoon and good evening'.

Reflecting over the two days (9-10 March 2021), there are three common themes that I’d like to share with you here:

Complexity of the food environment

The complexity of the food environment that we are working in has come into sharp focus. During day one of the conference, we explored the challenges this poses for regulators, consumers and the industry.

The presentations helped us to think about the wider system of behaviours and how this could help us all understand the interaction among actors across the food system, and how we can work to shape their behaviour. The importance of evaluating the impact of regulations and government interventions to achieve better public health outcomes was also highlighted.

We learnt how food safety regulators around the world are facing similar challenges in assessing and measuring the impact and burden of food-related risk and how, working collaboratively with experts and academics, cutting edge methodologies have been developed to advance our understanding and better target regulation to improve public health.

Collaboration and international co-operation

A common thread throughout the conference was that the future of the food system is in collaboration: sharing evidence, expertise, and building approaches and methodologies in partnership with leading experts from around the world.

There was a genuine commitment to collaboration, not just between government departments nationally, but also across borders internationally. There was evidence of this already in action, with joint presentations from our own government departments in the UK and with other food safety regulators on foodborne disease estimates, gene editing public dialogues and allergen labelling.

On day two, we focused on the international perspective with presentations from Codex Alimentarius, discussing the opportunities for greater international regulatory co-operation which could also take account of differing economic and social differences between countries.

At an international level, it was interesting to hear delegates consider whether, in light of this pandemic, there was a move towards a ‘One Health’ approach, that incorporates environmental, animal and human health, to tackle emerging threats; and whether this could also be applied in a food safety context.

From an FSA perspective, we’ll increasingly look to work with other government departments and international organisations to help achieve excellence in analysis and research.

A focus on science and evidence to inform decisions

One of the reasons why we wanted to host this conference was to share the extensive experience and knowledge we knew existed within the food regulatory space. At the FSA, we have always prided ourselves on our commitment to science and evidence to guide our policy making.

It was clear from the presentations we saw that this guiding principle was shared by so many of our colleagues both nationally and internationally. Perhaps due to the pandemic, there has been an increased focus on the use of science in risk management and government decision-making and it remains to be seen if this is a theme that will carry into the post-COVID world of policy making.

Next steps

It’s clear that food safety has a growing international profile and the food chain is a complex and evolving system. We’ll continue to build on our collaborations with food safety regulators to tackle global challenges. We will work with international organisations such as Codex and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to explore opportunities for productive international regulatory cooperation.

This conference has shown us the benefit of not only sharing our own analysis and insights, but also listening to the experiences of others. Understanding how others make sense of the world and adapt to real-world problems is yet another tool we can add to our regulatory toolkit.

It’s also demonstrated the benefits of cooperation and collaboration, both international and interdisciplinary, and between governments and academia. We should all be harnessing this to improve food safety and standards.

With continued collaboration, sharing and partnership we believe we can take on the global challenges of regulation, together.

Cydweithredu a chydweithio rhyngwladol - Yr hyn a ddysgwyd yn ein Cynhadledd Dadansoddi Rheoleiddio Bwyd Rhyngwladol

Mae Vanna Aldin, ein Prif Economegydd a Phennaeth yr Uned Dadansoddeg, yn ein tywys trwy rai o uchafbwyntiau ein cynhadledd ddiweddar ar y wyddoniaeth a'r ymchwil sy'n cael eu defnyddio i fynd i'r afael â'r heriau sy'n wynebu'r dirwedd fwyd.

 

Mae'r flwyddyn 2020-21 yn nodi blwyddyn o gerrig milltir i'r Asiantaeth Safonau Bwyd (ASB). Roedden ni’n dathlu ein pen-blwydd yn ugain oed fel rheoleiddiwr bwyd. Dyma’r flwyddyn y gwnaethom ni hefyd adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd (UE), gan olygu y byddai'r ASB, ynghyd â Safonau Bwyd yr Alban (FSS), yn ysgwyddo cyfrifoldebau ychwanegol am ddiogelwch a safonau bwyd yn y Deyrnas Unedig (DU). Wrth i ni fyfyrio ar ein gorffennol ac edrych i'r dyfodol, roedd yn ymddangos fel yr amser perffaith i lansio ein Cynhadledd Dadansoddi Rheoleiddio Bwyd Rhyngwladol gyntaf.

Pan ddechreuon ni feddwl am gynllunio'r gynhadledd dros flwyddyn yn ôl, ni fydden ni wedi gallu rhagweld y drydedd garreg filltir: COVID-19 a'r effaith y byddai'n ei chael, nid yn unig ar ein system fwyd, ond hefyd ar y ffordd yr ydym ni’n gweithredu. Roedd yn ganolbwynt i lawer o’r cyflwyniadau ac roedd canlyniadau’r pandemig ledled y byd i’w gweld yn glir wrth i ni groesawu ein siaradwyr o’u cartrefi yn hytrach na chanolfan gynadledda draddodiadol.

Hoffwn ddiolch i'n 50 o siaradwyr a gymerodd ran o 10 gwlad ledled y byd. Diolch hefyd i'n cynrychiolwyr, gyda llawer ohonynt yn ymuno y tu allan i'w horiau gwaith er mwyn gallu bod yn bresennol.

Gan adlewyrchu dros ddeuddydd y digwyddiad (9-10 Mawrth 2021), mae tair thema gyffredin yr hoffwn eu rhannu gyda chi yma:

Cymhlethdod yr amgylchedd bwyd

Mae cymhlethdod yr amgylchedd bwyd rydym ni’n gweithio ynddo wedi dod i ffocws craff. Yn ystod y diwrnod cyntaf, fe aethom ati i archwilio'r heriau y mae hyn yn eu creu i reoleiddwyr, defnyddwyr a'r diwydiant. Fe wnaeth y cyflwyniadau ein helpu i feddwl am y system ehangach o ymddygiadau a sut y gallai hyn ein helpu ni i ddeall y rhyngweithio rhwng yr actorion ar draws y system fwyd, a gweithio i lywio eu hymddygiad. Tynnwyd sylw hefyd at bwysigrwydd gwerthuso effaith rheoliadau ac ymyriadau’r llywodraeth i sicrhau gwell canlyniadau iechyd y cyhoedd.

Fe wnaethon ni ddysgu sut mae rheoleiddwyr diogelwch bwyd ledled y byd yn wynebu heriau tebyg wrth asesu a mesur effaith a baich risg sy'n gysylltiedig â bwyd a sut, gan weithio ar y cyd ag arbenigwyr ac academyddion, y datblygwyd methodolegau blaengar i wella ein dealltwriaeth a thargedu gwaith rheoleiddio yn well i wella iechyd y cyhoedd.

Cydweithio a chydweithrediad rhyngwladol

Un elfen gyffredin trwy gydol y gynhadledd oedd bod dyfodol y system fwyd mewn cydweithio: rhannu tystiolaeth, arbenigedd, ac adeiladu dulliau a methodolegau mewn partneriaeth ag arbenigwyr blaenllaw o bob cwr o'r byd.

Roedd ymrwymiad gwirioneddol i gydweithio, nid yn unig rhwng adrannau'r llywodraeth yn genedlaethol, ond hefyd ar draws ffiniau yn rhyngwladol. Roedd tystiolaeth o hyn eisoes ar waith, gyda chyflwyniadau ar y cyd gan ein hadrannau llywodraeth ein hunain yn y DU a gyda rheoleiddwyr diogelwch bwyd eraill ar amcangyfrifon o glefydau a gludir gan fwyd, deialogau cyhoeddus ar addasu genynnau a labelu alergenau.

Ar yr ail ddiwrnod, roedd y ffocws ar y persbectif rhyngwladol gyda chyflwyniadau gan Codex Alimentarius, gan drafod y cyfleoedd ar gyfer mwy o gydweithio rheoleiddiol rhyngwladol a allai hefyd ystyried gwahaniaethau economaidd a chymdeithasol amrywiol rhwng gwledydd.

Ar lefel ryngwladol, roedd yn ddiddorol clywed cynrychiolwyr yn ystyried a oedd, yng ngoleuni'r pandemig hwn, symudiad tuag at 'Un Dull Iechyd', sy'n ymgorffori iechyd yr amgylchedd, anifeiliaid a phobl, i fynd i'r afael â bygythiadau sy'n dod i'r amlwg; a ph’un a ellid rhoi hyn ar waith hefyd mewn cyd-destun diogelwch bwyd.

O safbwynt yr ASB, byddwn ni’n edrych fwyfwy ar weithio gydag adrannau eraill y llywodraeth a sefydliadau rhyngwladol i helpu i gyflawni rhagoriaeth mewn dadansoddi ac ymchwil.

Ffocws ar wyddoniaeth a thystiolaeth i lywio penderfyniadau

Un o'n rhesymau dros gynnal y gynhadledd hon oedd er mwyn rhannu'r profiad a'r wybodaeth helaeth yr oeddem ni’n gwybod eu bod yn bodoli yn y maes rheoleiddio bwyd. Yn yr ASB, rydym ni wastad wedi ymfalchïo yn ein hymrwymiad i wyddoniaeth a thystiolaeth i arwain a llywio ein polisïau. Ac roedd yn amlwg o'r cyflwyniadau a welsom fod llawer o'n cydweithwyr cenedlaethol a rhyngwladol yn rhannu’r egwyddor arweiniol hon. Efallai oherwydd y pandemig, rydym ni wedi gweld mwy o ffocws ar ddefnyddio gwyddoniaeth wrth reoli risg ac ym mhenderfyniadau’r llywodraeth, ac rydym ni eto i weld a fydd y thema hon yn parhau yn y byd ôl-COVID o lunio polisïau.

Y camau nesaf

Mae'n amlwg bod gan ddiogelwch bwyd broffil rhyngwladol cynyddol ac mae'r gadwyn fwyd yn system gymhleth sy'n esblygu. Byddwn ni’n parhau i adeiladu ar ein cydweithrediadau â rheoleiddwyr diogelwch bwyd i fynd i'r afael â heriau byd-eang, gan weithio gyda sefydliadau rhyngwladol fel Codex a'r Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd (OECD) i archwilio cyfleoedd ar gyfer cydweithio’n gynhyrchiol ar reoleiddio rhyngwladol.

Mae'r gynhadledd hon wedi dangos i ni fudd nid yn unig rhannu ein dadansoddiadau a'n mewnwelediadau ein hunain, ond hefyd i wrando ar brofiadau eraill. Mae deall sut mae eraill yn gwneud synnwyr o'r byd ac yn addasu i broblemau go iawn y byd yn adnodd arall y gallwn ei ychwanegu at ein pecyn cymorth rheoleiddio. Mae hefyd wedi dangos buddion cydweithio a chydweithredu, yn rhyngwladol ac yn rhyngddisgyblaethol, a rhwng llywodraethau a'r byd academaidd, a dylai pob un ohonom ni fod yn eu harneisio i wella diogelwch a safonau bwyd.

Gyda chydweithrediad, rhannu a phartneriaethau parhaus, credwn y gallwn ymgymryd â heriau byd-eang rheoleiddio, gyda'n gilydd.

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