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The objective is to optimize the prevention and response to disease outbreaks associated with the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods.
During the first 2024 meeting of the Food Safety Alliance Steering Committee, held virtually, officials from the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica), the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluated the actions and results of the working groups.
The health agencies have made it a priority for the regulated sector in both countries to be aware of the U.S. Fresh Produce Safety Standard and Senasica's Contamination Risk Reduction Systems (CRRS) to ensure compliance.
Through these regulations, health agencies and the industry provide consumers confidence that during the production, harvesting, packing, and marketing of fresh vegetables, the established hygiene measures were applied to reduce the risk of contamination by physical, chemical, and microbiological agents.
Almost four years after the confirmation of the Alliance, joint work schemes have been strengthened, which has made it possible to better face the main challenges of food safety, such as globalization and natural disasters.
Addressing these challenges required implementing coordinated actions, mainly at the regional level, to strengthen surveillance systems, adopt good agricultural practices, improve food storage schemes, and strengthen collaboration between government and industry.
FDA representatives informed that the Alliance is strategic for the U.S. government and one of the most important in terms of food safety since most of the fresh produce they consume comes from Mexico.
They reaffirmed the U.S. agency's commitment to share with its Mexican counterparts the technical and scientific information needed to move towards better preventive and reactive schemes in the face of outbreaks of fresh food-borne diseases.
In October 2020, the health agencies signed the Declaration of Intent of the Food Safety Alliance, which promotes collaborative actions with academic and scientific entities, consumer groups, and the private sector, with the aim of gaining greater knowledge of the food safety systems of both countries, establishing a basis of mutual trust in their respective systems and identifying areas of opportunity.
April 10, 2024/ Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development/ Mexico.
https://www.gob.mx/
