FAO launches Regional Food Safety Research and Innovation Network in Near East, North Africa
This collaborative model is expected to ensure that new scientific insights are effectively translated into practical policies, standards, and national food safety strategies.
AFRICA – The FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE) has launched the Regional Food Safety Research and Innovation Network (RFSRIN), a collaborative platform to advance science-driven, innovative solutions to enhance food safety across the region.
The launch took place during the FAO Science and Innovation Forum (SIF) 2025, under the session titled “Science and Innovation Driving Food Safety – From Vision to Network.”
The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region faces unique and complex challenges that directly affect food safety, including water scarcity, climate change, rapid urbanization, and growing dependence on global food supply chains.
These factors contribute to increased risks of food contamination and foodborne diseases, which affect over 100 million people each year.
As agrifood systems evolve under resource constraints, emerging technologies such as controlled-environment farming, precision fermentation, and digital monitoring systems call for updated scientific understanding and robust regulatory frameworks.
In her keynote address, Masami Takeuchi, FAO Food Safety Officer, emphasized the transformative role of innovation and technology in addressing these challenges.
She highlighted FAO’s global work on cell-based foods, artificial intelligence (AI) for food safety, modern indoor farming, and whole genome sequencing (WGS), technologies that are reshaping the future of food safety management.
These innovations, she noted, are enabling countries to anticipate risks and strengthen their capacity to respond effectively.
“While innovations are essential for making agrifood systems more sustainable and resilient, they must always be responsible and evidence-based,” Takeuchi said.
She stressed that technological advances should be guided by scientific validation, transparency, and collaboration to ensure they build public trust while safeguarding consumer health.
The event gathered representatives from governments, academia, the private sector, and regional organizations to discuss the Network’s governance, thematic priorities, and long-term sustainability.
Participants emphasized the need for a “network of networks”, a structure that connects laboratories, research institutions, and policy platforms across the region.
This collaborative model is expected to ensure that new scientific insights are effectively translated into practical policies, standards, and national food safety strategies.
Through the RFSRIN, FAO aims to accelerate the region’s transition toward safe, sustainable, and resilient agrifood systems, ensuring that every innovation contributes to protecting public health and food security.
Complementing the Network’s launch, FAO RNE has released a comprehensive technical report mapping the region’s food safety and quality landscape using the One Health and DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response) frameworks.
To further promote innovation, the regional Hack4SafeFood initiative was held in September 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, engaging scientists, policymakers, and innovators in developing AI- and technology-based food safety solutions.
Together, these efforts underscore FAO’s commitment to ensuring that science and innovation remain at the heart of food safety governance in the Near East and North Africa.
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