Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans. Technical report. Durrës, Albania, 25–26 November 2021

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The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall WHO be liable for damages arising from its use. This publication contains the report of the subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans (Durrës, Albania, 25–26 November 2021), and does not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of WHO. Cover photo: © WHO To enhance the capacities of Member States in the Western Balkans to better respond to food safety emergencies, a two-day workshop was conducted in Durrës, Albania on 25–26 November 2021. The main aim of the workshop was to support countries/areas to apply risk analysis principles and procedures in response to food safety emergencies. This report provides brief summaries of the workshop presentations and discussions. © World Health Organization 2022 Art-direction and layout: www.freightdesign.co.uk Document number: WHO/EURO:2022-4797-44560-63125 ABSTRACT Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Technical Report Durrës, Albania, 25–26 November 2021 Acknowledgement iii Executive summary iv Background 1 Purpose and objectives 2 Expected outcome 2 Method of the workshop 2 Facilitator team 2 Workshop participants 2 Workshop Sessions 3 Day 1 3 Day 2 3 Summary of questions and discussion points 4 Discussion on the nomination of INFOSAN focal points 4 Key fi ndings of the group work 5 Action needed to strengthen food safety emergency 6 response systems Conclusion 7 Moving forward 8 Annex 1. Programme 9 Annex 2. Participants 11 Contents ii © WHO Acknowledgement This publication has been produced with the fi nancial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of WHO and can in no way be taken to refl ect the views of the European Union. iii Executive summary To enhance the capacities of Member States in the Western Balkans to better respond to food safety emergencies, a two-day workshop was conducted in Durrës, Albania on 25–26 November 2021. The main aim of the workshop was to support countries/areas to apply risk analysis principles and procedures in response to food safety emergencies. During the workshop, each country/area presented the food safety system they had in place, identified challenges and gaps and formulated recommendations for further improvements. This was followed by technical presentations from the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the International Food Safety Authorities Network Secretariat, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety and the European Commission Directorate- General for Health and Food Safety to share experience, best practices and tools for food safety risk analysis. Among the challenges highlighted from countries/ areas were enhancing cooperation between different food safety agencies, nominating focal points in all line ministries and with food safety stakeholders, ensuring cross-border information- sharing, and enabling joint investigation and response to food safety emergencies. The workshop presented an opportunity for participants and observers to network and establish communication with focal points in neighbouring countries/areas and served as a starting point for future collaboration and information-sharing. In their feedback, participants and observers reported that the workshop met their expectations and helped them feel better equipped to perform their duties in food safety risk analysis. Participants and observers requested that more workshops of a similar nature be organized to enhance cross- border food safety collaboration and information- sharing. © WHO iv Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Background Food safety incidents and emergencies are very diverse and may be defined and addressed differently according to the capacity of a country’s/area’s food safety system. Food safety emergencies include foodborne disease outbreaks, food fraud and food adulteration, chemical contamination and other non-compliances with food safety regulations. The ability of countries to detect and respond to food safety events that may constitute a public health emergency of national and international concern is a core capacity under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005). Food safety incidents and emergencies may originate from multiple domestic and international sources. As such, a multisectoral and coordinated approach that engages all relevant sectors and stakeholders and uses the One Health approach, alongside communication among countries, is the key to a successful response. Risk analysis provides national food safety authorities with a systematic and disciplined approach for making evidence-based food safety decisions. It consists of three interactive and interlinked processes: 1) risk assessment; 2) risk management; and 3) risk communication. Risk analysis is used to estimate food safety risks to human health, identify and implement appropriate measures to control the risks, and communicate with stakeholders about the risks and measures applied. An essential part of the response to a food safety emergency is the process of assessing risks, making risk management decisions and communicating risk in the face of time constraints, lack of data and knowledge gaps. As such, risk analysis does not only apply to normal situations, but can also be used during food safety emergency situations. In Western Balkan countries/areas, there is a need to improve procedures and practices used for investigation and response to food safety incidents and emergencies. Current capacities in most of the countries/areas are characterized by the existence of legal frameworks for food safety, systems for surveillance and monitoring of foodborne diseases, competent authorities to deal with food safety events, food control plans and food monitoring programmes, competent laboratories for regular food testing and during food safety events, and mechanisms for information exchange between sectors and stakeholders in case of suspected food safety events. Epidemiologists, laboratory staff and food inspectors are appropriately trained in most of the countries/areas. Some countries/areas, however, lack risk-based tools, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and instructions, procedures and guides to effectively respond to foodborne diseases and communicate and share information. Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans 1 Purpose and objectives The overall purpose of the training workshop was to support Western Balkan countries/areas to strengthen their core capacities for food safety as defined under the IHR (2005) by operationally applying risk analysis principles and procedures in response to food safety emergencies using a One Health approach. Specifically, the objectives of the workshop were to: • take stock of current procedures and practices for food safety emergency response in Western Balkan countries/areas; • outline best practices for applying risk analysis principles during food safety emergencies and demonstrate through examples practical ways of incorporating the risk analysis principles into existing emergency response procedures and practices in target countries/areas; and • provide recommendations for strengthening food safety emergency response systems in the Western Balkans using risk analysis and the One Health approach. Expected outcome After the training, it was expected that participants and observers would be familiar with risk analysis principles and be able to apply them in the investigation and response to food safety emergencies. Method of the workshop The workshop was conducted over 25 and 26 November 2021 as a face-to-face event in Durrës, Albania. The following methods were used during the workshop: • plenary presentations – face-to-face and virtually • country examples and experience-sharing • plenary discussion • mixed-country/area group discussions • country-specific discussions. 1 All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Facilitator team The facilitator team is shown in Table 1. Table 1. Workshop facilitator team Organization Facilitators WHO Abebayehu Assefa Mengistu Coordinator, WHO Health Emergencies programme (WHE) Balkan Hub, WHO Regional Office for Europe Peter Sousa Hoejskov Technical Officer, Food Safety & Zoonotic Diseases, WHO Regional Office for Europe Rawi Ibrahim Technical Officer, Emergency preparedness and response WHE, Balkan Hub, WHO Regional Office for Europe Raul Garcia Acevedo Technical Officer, INFOSAN Secretariat, WHO headquarters Rachelle El Khoury Technical Officer, INFOSAN Secretariat, WHO headquarters Canadian Food Inspection Agency Annie Locas Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL Germany) Georg Schreiber European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety Jan Baele Workshop participants Twenty-five participants and observers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, and from Kosovo,1 attended in the workshop. Participants and observers included International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) emergency contact points and focal points, food safety managers and other government representatives involved in food safety emergency response-related work. WHO staff responsible for health emergencies (including food safety emergencies) from WHO country/field offices in the Western Balkans also participated. 2 Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Day 1 Peter Sousa Hoejskov, WHO Regional Office for Europe presented the background to, and objectives of, the workshop. The presentation highlighted that food safety is a core capacity under IHR (2005) and the IHR (2005) capacity scores for food safety in the Western Balkan countries/areas for 2018, 2019 and 2020. The presentation explained risk analysis as a systematic and disciplined approach for making evidence-based food safety decisions and concluded with a reiteration of the workshop’s purpose, objectives and format. Abebayehu Assefa Mengistu, World Health Emergencies programme (WHE), Western Balkans Hub presented the overall objectives of the joint WHO/European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Western Balkan Project under which the workshop was conducted. He highlighted subregional and country/area-focused activities of Objective 1 of the project on strengthening and maintaining all-hazard preparedness and response capacities across the Western Balkans subregion. Raul Garcia, INFOSAN Secretariat presented the concept of food safety risk analysis to improve food safety outcomes. The presentation highlighted the risk analysis approach, preliminary risk management activities that need to be conducted, and risk assessment and risk management during emergencies. It also addressed risk communication during emergencies and highlighted risk communication aspects during the response to food safety emergency events. Peter Sousa Hoejskov, WHO Regional Office for Europe then introduced the components and functions of food safety emergency investigation and response systems, highlighting the components of a national food safety system, the nature of emergencies in general, steps in outbreak investigation and the key factors to consider in the investigation and response. The presentation also discussed in detail the essential components of a food safety emergency response system. Annie Locas, Canadian Food Inspection Agency presented on food safety investigations and the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in Canada, detailing the partners involved in foodborne illness investigation and response in Canada and the different tools used in food safety. Surveillance and information exchange for food safety events/ emergencies was highlighted, as were notification and food-recall notifications and procedures. The presentation also highlighted some examples of outbreaks to demonstrate the importance of international information-sharing through INFOSAN and how WGS data were used to identify the source of the outbreak in other countries. Day 2 Peter Sousa Hoejskov, WHO Regional Office for Europe presented the One Health approach in the context of food safety and zoonotic diseases. The presentation described the One Health approach and explained that today’s health threats require multisectoral responses. It also highlighted global and regional commitments from WHO, FAO, OIE, UNEP and other partners to One Health. The presentation emphasized the benefits of applying the One Health approach, the challenges in implementing this approach and what countries can do to operationalize One Health, with some examples of work currently ongoing in some countries. Workshop sessions Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans 3 Georg Schreiber, German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL Germany) provided an overview of the system for foodborne disease outbreak investigation in Germany. The presentation highlighted the German Food Safety Management Network, how outbreaks are detected and how information is shared, with some examples from previous and current outbreaks in Germany. It also highlighted outbreak management during times of national crisis, including crisis management structures for outbreaks. BVL Germany then delivered a second presentation that explained in detail the crisis management systems for food safety emergencies in the European Union (EU) and Germany. Rachelle El Khoury, INFOSAN Secretariat presented an overview of INFOSAN and how it supports food safety authorities to connect to reduce foodborne risks. The presentation highlighted the origin, mission and objectives of INFOSAN and how it serves as a network of networks, referring also to the resources at the network’s disposal. The presentation highlighted how INFOSAN communicates urgent information, with some examples of outbreaks that had affected several countries. Jan Baele, European Commission Directorate- General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) presented on how communication is processed through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) in the EU and beyond. The members and scope of RASFF and what kind of information is notified through it (and how) were identified. The presentation concluded with a description of the RASFF tools and roadmap and its collaboration with non-member countries and international organizations. Summary of questions and discussion points Question from participant from Serbia. How do we communicate risk for food safety events properly? Looking at the COVID-19 experience, we can see many communication messages distributed from different stakeholders and sometimes it is confusing, or information can be contradictory. Answer from WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe). It is very important to coordinate food safety messages across different stakeholders and line ministries to avoid duplication or create confusion among the public. We have to acknowledge that people are getting their information from different sources, so it is important to build trust with people so that the information sent out is received properly. If misinformation is spreading, it is important to understand the source of wrong messages and understand who is spreading them, then try to address the misinformation. The INFOSAN Secretariat at WHO headquarters has developed communication materials and simulation exercises for INFOSAN members to support them to better understand risk communication aspects for food safety emergencies. Question from participant from North Macedonia. How reliable is the information coming from countries through INFOSAN and how do you evaluate the communication/response from countries/areas? Answer from INFOSAN. If a country or focal point did not respond to several events, we consider them inactive. We then contact the WHO country office to designate another focal point. Discussion on the nomination of INFOSAN focal points Comment from participant from Serbia. The only issue we have is that we do not have focal points in other ministries. Usually the nomination of other focal points is not an easy process and takes time, so it is not easy to have many focal points. Response from INFOSAN. Designating the emergency contact person is the first step toward strengthening the food safety emergency system. However, depending on the structure of the national food safety system, it may also be relevant to designate INFOSAN focal points in ministries and agencies other than that in which the INFOSAN emergency contact point is located. INFOSAN usually supports countries/areas to understand the rationale of having focal points in relevant ministries through workshops or SimEx exercises – there is no one-size-fits-all approach, but we are ready to support countries/areas to develop in this area. Sometimes INFOSAN shares information with WHO country offices, but country office staff can also register on the website to access the INFOSAN network. 4 Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Key findings of the group work How can countries collaborate to improve the prevention of, and preparedness for, food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans? A subregional food safety network to support the prevention of, preparedness to and response to food safety emergencies should be established to enhance intersectoral and cross-border collaboration. Representatives from sectors and institutions responsible for food safety in the Western Balkans (including public health, veterinary and food safety experts) should join the network. For this to happen, agreement is needed between the network and contact persons on specifying objectives and organizing meeting programmes. A structure similar to INFOSAN, with one main focal point per country, should be in place. The work of the network should not only focus on sharing emergency information, but also knowledge, practices and experiences. Capacities (within countries/areas and across borders) for joint investigation of, and response to, foodborne and zoonotic outbreaks can be strengthened through this subregional collaboration, which should include joint training programmes, joint simulation exercises and the translation/adoption of protocols to local contexts. Active involvement in, and information-sharing on, any food safety events should be facilitated through INFOSAN. It was suggested that a separate space on the INFOSAN community website for the Western Balkans should be created to share food safety information. A workshop to introduce the INFOSAN network should be conducted in Kosovo.2 Training and education of human resources on microbiological testing, public health response and crisis management for food safety emergencies should be put in place. Laboratory capacities for detection of emerging food safety risks should be shared across the Western Balkans. 2 All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). What do you believe are the most critical factors for successful food safety emergency responses? Responses included: • ensuring the right legal bases and political will are in place; • establishing intersectoral collaboration mechanisms and ensuring proper flow of information across different sectors; • building on common experience and similar structures; • ensring effective communication; • preparing trained and stable human resources (with less frequent changes of personnel); and • preparing food safety emergency plans on the basis of consensus among all stakeholders and testing the plans. © WHO © WHO Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans 5 Action needed to strengthen food safety emergency response systems Suggested actions for countries/areas are summarized in Table 2. Table 2. Strengthening food safety emergency response systems – country/area summaries Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina • Establish an intersectoral committee for food safety with the involvement of different actors responsible for food safety. Actions are for the Ministry of Health to invite line ministries and relevant stakeholders to a roundtable meeting with support from WHO, then draft a memorandum of understanding to define roles and responsibilities for intersectoral collaboration. • Conduct an assessment of the food safety legal framework to identify main areas for strengthening. • Establish a network of food safety focal points from different sectors. • Prepare a national multisectoral food safety response plan. • Develop investigation and response protocols for food safety events. • Establish a rapid response team with clear terms of reference and a pool of experts, then provide regular training to the team. • Strengthen food safety incident management capacity through training and simulation exercises. This includes developing methods for incident classification jointly with other sectors and with support from WHO. • Strengthen capacities for joint investigation and response to food safety and zoonotic outbreaks. This includes developing or adapting WHO guidelines on the investigation of foodborne diseases and conducting training activities. • Establish a monitoring programme for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This includes strengthening/ developing laboratory capacity for PAH analysis in smoked food products, with WHO support. Montenegro North Macedonia • Develop an operational plan for responding to food safety events. • Conduct simulation exercises to test the plan. • Share experiences and exchange knowledge with other countries/areas in the Western Balkans on managing and responding to food safety emergencies. • Develop a protocol for strengthening intersectoral collaboration among the sectors that deal with food safety issues, including the health sector, as collaboration is limited when an outbreak is detected. • Strengthen capacity for risk assessment of food safety- related emergencies in the health sector and other sectors. This includes: upgrading food safety testing capacities at the Institute of Public Health; developing an integrated database for food safety events; and introducing/developing tools for managing food safety events/emergencies. • Strengthen periodic assessment and improve emergency preparedness capacities by, for example, developing a food safety emergency response plan (jointly with other sectors) and providing regular training to all relevant stakeholders. • Introduce the One Health approach at national and regional levels to strengthen food safety. This includes conducting regular meetings and webinars including the Food and Veterinary Agency, the Institute of Public Health and other relevant sectors. © WHO © WHO 6 Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Serbia Kosovo1 • Establish a Food Safety Network in Serbia through: • nominating INFOSAN focal points from the relevant institutions from multiple sectors; • revising and officially endorsing the protocol for intersectoral collaboration and information exchange; and • developing and officially endorsing support for SOPs that define joint activities on risk assessment, risk communication, risk management and response to food safety emergencies. • Implementation steps: • send requests from the WHO Country Office to the relevant institutions to nominate INFOSAN focal points; • hold a policy dialogue/strategic meeting initiated by the WHO Country Office that brings together high officials, stakeholders and decision-makers from relevant ministries to agree to and secure their commitment for the endorsement of the joint protocol; and • advocate through the WHO Country Office for the official nomination of the workgroup for developing the SOPs that will define joint activities on risk assessment, risk communication, risk management and response to food safety emergencies. • Develop a legal framework for food safety in emergencies. • Develop a response plan for food safety emergencies. • Build capacities to strengthen capacity to reduce food safety risks in Kosovo,1 including human resource, food safety infrastructure such as laboratory capacities and taking part in subregional, regional and global food safety networks such as INFOSAN. • Identify key food safety stakeholders (such as the Food and Veterinary Agency, Institute of Public Health/health agency, Centre for Laboratory Testing and agriculture agency) and assign focal points from each institution/stakeholder. • Develop communication and information-sharing mechanisms/channels with different food safety stakeholders. • Capitalize on national and international support to improve the food safety system in Kosovo.1 1 All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Conclusion This workshop represented a first step toward strengthening the food safety system in the Western Balkans, with a focus on food safety emergencies. It provided an opportunity for networking and experience-sharing between countries/areas and enabled the presentation of new tools and approaches for strengthening food safety, including application of risk analysis principles and the One Health approach. In their feedback, all participants and observers confirmed that the workshop had met its objectives, with 95% reporting that it had supported their work on food safety emergency investigation and response. All participants and observers noted that the workshop allowed for sufficient sharing of information and experiences between participants from different countries/area and between participants and facilitators, and 90% confirmed that they are confident in applying the learning from the workshop in their work on food safety emergency investigation and response. The aspect considered most useful in the workshop by participants and observers was the face-to- face meeting format, which they beleived allowed them to better discuss and share experience and knowledge, especially during the group discussions and practical examples. Others reported that the workshop provided them with an opportunity to network and understand the food safety system and structure in neighbouring countries/ areas better. Areas for further improvement in the workshop reported by participants were that some elements of information were outdated, and they expected more time for group discussion and consideration of case studies. Almost all participants and observers highlighted the importance of conducting similar workshops in the future. Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans 7 Moving forward The meeting agreed on the need to: • create a subregional INFOSAN page in the INFOSAN community website for emergency contact points and focal points from the Western Balkans to strengthen communication and experience- and information-sharing across countries/areas in the subregion; • include the WHO health emergencies focal points in WHO country/field offices in INFOSAN related communication so they can support further communication of critical information shared through INFOSAN; • explore the possibility of aligning the INFOSAN emergency contact points, national IHR focal points and EU RASSF focal points to harmonize work within countries/areas and avoid duplication; and • explore the possibility of granting Western Balkan countries/areas access to the DG SANTE RASFF platform to access tools and information on food safety events. © WHO 8 Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Annex 1. Programme Time Agenda item Resource person Day 1 09:00– 09:45 Welcome and opening remarks Gerald Rockenschaub, WHO Representative to Albania Eugena Tomini’ Deputy Health Minister of Albania Moderators: Abebayehu Assefa Mengistu (Coordinator, WHO Balkan World Health Emergencies programme (WHE) Hub) and Peter Sousa Hoejskov (Technical Officer (Food Safety and Zoonotic Diseases), WHE) Introduction of participants Background and objectives of the training Peter Sousa Hoejskov 10:15–10:30 Overview of the “Strengthening health systems resilience in the Western Balkans” Programme Abebayehu Assefa Mengistu 10:30–11:00 Food safety risk analysis: a concept to improve food safety outcomes: • risk assessment • risk management • risk communication Raul Acevedo Garcia (Technical Officer, INFOSAN Secretariat, WHO headquarters) 11:00–1130 Components and functions of food safety emergency investigation and response systems Peter Sousa Hoejskov 11:30–12:00 Q&A 13:00–14:30 Food safety emergency response systems in the Western Balkans – good practices and constraining factors: • Albania • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Montenegro • North Macedonia • Serbia • Kosovo1 Country/area participants 15:00–15:30 Food safety investigations, outbreaks and the use of whole genome sequencing in Canada Annie Locas, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (virtual) 15:30–16:30 Group discussion: opportunities for peer learning and improved collaboration between Western Balkan countries/areas and beyond during food safety incidents and emergencies Mixed country/area groups 16:30–17:00 Group reporting Mixed country/area groups 17:00 Summary of Day 1 1 All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans 9 Time Agenda item Resource person Day 2 09:00–09:15 Recap from day 1 Participant 09:15–09:30 The One Health approach to address food safety and zoonotic diseases Peter Sousa Hoejskov 09:30–10:00 The system for foodborne disease outbreak investigation in Germany – based on the One Health approach Georg Schreiber, BVL Germany (virtual) 10:30–11:30 International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN): a global mechanism for information-sharing Rachelle El Khoury (Technical Officer, INFOSAN Secretariat, WHO headquarters) 11:30–12:00 Communication through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed in the European Union and beyond Jan Baele, DG SANTE (virtual) 12:00–12:30 The German food chain crisis management system Georg Schreiber, BVL Germany (virtual) 13.30–14.30 Group discussion: Identification of success factors for effective food safety emergency response Mixed country groups 14:30–15:00 Group reporting 15:30–16:30 Group discussion: action needed to strengthen food safety emergency response systems Country/area specific groups 16:30–17:00 Group reporting 17:00–17:30 Next steps and closing remarks Peter Sousa Hoejskov © WHO 10 Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Annex 2. Participants Country/area and WHO office Name Institute Albania Rovena Daja Epidemiologist for Food and Water Diseases, Department of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Control, Institute of Public Health Aida Demo Expert, Institute of Public Health Silva Novi Head of Sector, Ministry of Health and Social Protection Eralda Mariani Head of Sector, Ministry of Health and Social Protection Bosnia and Herzegovina Vesna Rudic Grujic Head of Department of Hygiene, Public Health Institute of the Republika Srpska Dzemil Hajric Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Edisa Trumic Technical Officer for Health Promotion and Prevention Programmes, Ministry of Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Snežana Barjaktarović Labović Hygiene specialist Zdenka Zoričić Mitrović Specialist in toxicology Ljubica Terić Specialist in microbiology North Macedonia Gordana Ristovska Head of Department for Food Safety, Institute of Public Health Igor Spiroski Head of Department of Nutrition, Institute of Public Health Serbia Rasa Milanov Coordinator, Department of Border Sanitary Inspection, Sector for Inspection Affairs, Department of Border Sanitary Inspection, Ministry of Health Goran Stojković Department for Coordination of Affairs in Areas under Sanitary Supervision and Internal Supervision, Head of Department, Sector for Inspection Affairs, Department of Sanitary Inspection, Ministry of Health WHO headquarters Raul Garcia Acevedo Technical Officer, INFOSAN Secretariat Rachelle El Khoury Technical Officer, INFOSAN Secretariat WHO Regional Office for Europe Peter Sousa Hoejskov Technical Officer (Food Safety and Zoonotic Diseases), World Health Emergencies programme (WHE) WHO country offices Albania Adrian Xinxo National Professional Officer – Health Emergencies and IHR Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirza Palo National Professional Officer – Health Emergencies and IHR Serbia Miljan Rancic National Professional Officer – Health Emergencies and IHR Serbia Ivan Zivanov National Professional Officer – One Health Focal Point Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans 11 WHO Balkan WHE Hub Thanas Goga Technical Officer – Risk Communication and Community Engagement Rawi Ibrahim Technical Officer – Emergency Preparedness & Response Abebayehu Assefa Mengistu Coordinator Slavica Stojkovic Programme Assistant United Nations Mission in Kosovo 1 Isme Humolli National Professional Officer – Health Emergencies and IHR Kosovo 1 Ergul Bince Deputy Head of Food Safety Unit, Laboratory Testing Centre, Institute of Public Health Arberesha Loxha Head of Food Safety Unit, Laboratory Testing Centre, Institute of Public Health Drita Zogaj Director, Laboratory Testing Centre, Institute of Public Health 1 All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). © WHO 12 Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans Subregional training on the use of risk analysis in the response to food safety emergencies in the Western Balkans © WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations created in 1948 with the primary responsibility for international health matters and public health. The WHO Regional Office for Europe is one of six regional offices throughout the world, each with its own programme geared to the particular health conditions of the countries it serves. Member States Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Tajikistan Turkey Turkmenistan Ukraine United Kingdom Uzbekistan World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe UN City, Marmorvej 51 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark Tel: +45 45 33 70 00 Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Email: eurocontact@who.int Web: www.euro.who.int WHO/EURO:2022-4797-44560-63125