Food Safety Network
The Food Safety Network (FSN) is a U.S. Government interagency partnership to help build food safety capacity worldwide. The FSN provides science-based support to strengthen animal health, plant health and food safety, otherwise known as the SPS system in developing countries through: (i) Country SPS assessments; (ii) Technical services to address needs identified in SPS assessments; and (iii) An online community including a repository library of resources; interactive courses and technical experts at hand.
Through the work of the FSN, development practitioners will explore the most common and harmful food safety hazards for their country’s products from “farm to fork.” They will also learn how new food safety laws may affect their country’s cross-border trade.
USAID Missions can buy-in to mobilize Food Safety Network resources for projects with a focus on SPS value chains and market systems.
Contact: FOODSAFETYNETWORK@FAS.USDA.GOV
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Modern and reliable food safety systems are becoming a prerequisite for a country’s access to global markets. However, many developing countries’ exporters struggle with meeting global food safety standards.
The Food Safety Network (FSN) provides access to top U.S. government expertise to assist developing countries addressing food safety, animal health, and plant health issues along agricultural value chains.
The Food Safety Network (FSN) is an interagency funding mechanism among USAID, USDA and FDA. The main objective of the FSN is to support technical capacity building of animal health, plant health and food safety systems in selected countries based on sound-science and good international practices.
The FSN can help achieve the Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) goals. In particular, the FSN supports the link between animal health, plant health, and food safety -- the SPS system -- and trade.
The FSN is structured into 3 pillars:
- The first pillar includes the preparation of needs assessments of SPS market systems in countries that request assistance. USAID Missions can buy into the FSN to (i) develop needs assessment; or (ii) fund SPS activities based on the recommendations of need assessments.
- A second pillar of the FSN includes a series of SPS web-based distance learning training modules for regulators and other stakeholders. These modules will effectively teach how to incorporate and use science-based risk analysis concepts and tools in analyzing, establishing quarantine, and controlling pest and livestock diseases in your country. These modules are being translated into Spanish and French. As they become available, these modules will be uploaded on Agrilinks, the online USAID University and AgLearn, at USDA.
- The third pillar of the FSN is a knowledge management platform that is a repository of SPS resources and serves as a community of practice around animal health, plant health and food safety issues and expertise.
Contact: foodsafetynetwork@fas.usda.gov