Food Safety and Foodborne Disease Surveillance Systems: Proceedings of an Iranian-American Workshop (2006)

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Overview of Safety Issues in Iran for Food Derived from Animals or Plants Dr. M. R. Akbarian HACCP Food Safety Consultant, Iran Veterinary Organization Food security (sufficient and safe food for all individuals) has become a top priority because of the world’s growing population and its limited resources. According to such international organizations as the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the situation is considered problematic when nearly 25 percent of produced food is destroyed by spoilage, especially degradation by microbial agents, and fails to reach consumers. Apart from safety aspects, spoilage imposes severe economic burdens on many countries and producers. Another aspect concerns the increase in urban populations and decline of rural communities. This development has caused fundamental changes in food consumption patterns, food processing, and even food hazards. Not so long ago, the most important etiological agents of disease from contaminated foods were bacteria, parasites, and viruses. These agents still play major roles in causing consumer health problems, but new hazards—such as veterinary drug residues, pesticides, chemicals like heavy metals, and other environmental contaminants— are as important as the biological factors. According to WHO and FAO studies and reports, illness due to contaminat- ed food is one of the world’s most widespread health problems and an important factor in reduced economic productivity, especially in developing and underde- veloped countries. When we define food security, it is for all people, at all times. We say that there should be access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet dietary needs and satisfy food preferences for an active and healthy life. Actually, this makes food safety a basic human right. It must, therefore, be given a higher priority by all governments. 18 

OVERVIEW OF SAFETY ISSUES IN IRAN 19 Currently, millions of people worldwide are suffering from diseases caused by contaminated food, which inflicts heavy social and economic burdens. The incidence and types of foodborne disease differ in different parts of the world. In developed countries many such diseases do not exist at all or have been largely prevented by food safety education, higher standards of hygiene, improved water supplies and sanitation, and better technologies for producing safe food. Never- theless, significant portions of the population in industrial countries are affected by foodborne diseases despite the demanding standards and advanced measures. As mentioned above, food safety is viewed as an essential public health issue of increasing importance. Therefore, for the well-being of society all gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies should assume responsibility for the production of safe food. FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM IN IRAN Food production, processing, marketing, and distribution systems in Iran are complex. They also are fragmented and involve a large number of intermediaries between the producer and the consumer. From producing and processing points of view we have in Iran both traditional means and industrial methods; the dif- ferences between these two raise problems when trying to apply the new con- cepts of food safety. Responsibility for food safety is shared by Iran’s government, industries, and consumers. At the government level three ministries provide consumer pro- tection: the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the Ministry of Jihad-e- Agriculture, and the Ministry of Industry. For all three there are legislative acts delineating their responsibilities. Here I will mention only the safety issues concerning foods of animal origin for which the IVO (Iran Veterinary Organization) is responsible. The IVO works under the auspices of the Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, and the basic law for its duties is the Veterinary Organization Act ratified on June 14, 1971. This act includes 21 articles and 1 amendment. The purposes of establishing this organi- zation were to provide for the good health of animals, for safe products of animal origin, and to prevent and control animal diseases and zoonoses. The IVO has several basic principles with which it seeks to attain these goals, achieve opti- mum consumer protection, and ensure food safety. INTEGRATED FARM-TO-TABLE CONCEPT To achieve optimum consumer protection, it is essential that safety be em- bodied in food products from production through consumption. This calls for an integrated farm-to-table approach in which the producer, processor, transporter, vendor, and consumer all play vital roles. To ensure adequate consumer protection and to effectively control, reduce, 

20 FOOD SAFETY AND FOODBORNE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS or minimize food safety risks, a preventive approach was developed and appro- priate preventive measures were introduced into all stages from farm to table. Prevention, control at the source, and identification of unsuitable products at an early stage make better scientific and economic sense compared to the traditional approach to food control, which relied mainly on final product inspection and testing. The IVO started these new activities a decade ago and based them on the principles of good animal husbandry practices, animal biosecurity measures, good hygiene practices for animal farms, and application of good hygiene prac- tices (GHPs) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regula- tions to the production of raw foods of animal origin. All this was done in conformity with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Codex Alimenta- rius, and European Commission guidelines. At the moment, this new approach to food safety is being applied comprehensively to fishery products. In 1998 Iran was placed on the list of countries approved for exporting fish and fishery prod- ucts to European nations. For other raw foods of animal origin, such as meat, poultry products, and milk, the IVO started this new approach to food safety four years ago. Currently, prerequisite HACCP programs are applied in all slaughter houses and at all processing and packaging sites. In the near future these activi- ties will introduce full HACCP systems to these sites. In brief, the important activities performed by the IVO are: • Hygienic control of the infrastructure and site aspects of animal farms and aquaculture centers. • Hygienic control of live animals at farms and screening to control or eradicate major diseases according to OIE guidelines. • Monitoring of veterinary drug residues and supervision of the use of these drugs to prevent unauthorized applications and bar unauthorized materi- als. The IVO also supervises the interval between medication withdrawal and slaughter. • Hygienic control of establishments producing animal feed in terms of infrastructure, site, and application of good manufacturing practice (GMP) and GHP principles. • Safety and hygienic control of animal feed with respect to biological, chemical, and physical hazards in order to prevent these hazards from impacting consumers. • Supervision and hygienic control of the means for transporting animals and animal products in order to prevent illegal traffic. The IVO has also installed quarantine check-points across the country and at the borders. • Hygienic control and supervision of slaughter houses, processing sites, and packaging establishments for raw animal products. The IVO has placed health inspectors in these establishments to monitor all stages of production and processing. 

OVERVIEW OF SAFETY ISSUES IN IRAN 21 • All these establishments must be designed and built according to GMP and GHP prescriptions; HACCP systems have been fully implemented for fish- ery products to protect consumers against hazards. • Hygienic control and supervision of food of animal origin at retail markets. • Conducting of regular training courses for IVO inspectors and related personnel, especially in HACCP, GMP, GHP, and auditing skills. • Application of quality assurance systems, such as ISO 17025, in labora- tories that test raw foods of animal origin as well as the establishment of a reference laboratory to control veterinary drug residues, heavy metals, and other contaminants in animal products. • Participation in international meetings, such as the Codex Alimentarius committees. • Cooperation with the FAO, with this organization providing technical and logistical support for a project to control veterinary drug residues in food of animal origin. REFERENCES CAC (Codex Alimentarius Commission). 2003. Food Hygiene Basic Texts. Codex Alimentarius Commission.Third Edition. Rome: FAO Publication. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 1996. Declaration on World Food Security. Report of the World Food Summit. Rome: FAO Publication. FAO/WHO (Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization). 1992. World Declara- tion and Plan of Action for Nutrition. Final Report of International Conference on Nutrition. Rome: FAO Publication. FAO/WHO. 2002. Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators. Morocco, 28-30 Jan. Rome: FAO Publication. WHO/SDE/PHE/FOS. 1999. Food Safety: An Essential Public health Issue for the New Millennium. Geneva: World Health Organization.