Washington, D.C., 30 September 2026 (PAHO) – Health authorities from the Americas today approved a new regional strategy to strengthen food safety systems and reduce foodborne diseases, which affect an estimated 43.7 million people and cause around 78,000 deaths in the Region each year.
Adopted by the 63rd Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Strategy and Plan of Action on Food Safety 2026–2031 provides a regional framework to help countries strengthen national food safety systems, institutionalize science-based risk analysis, and improve regional cooperation in preventing, detecting and responding to food safety risks.
Foodborne diseases place a significant burden on public health, food security, tourism and trade across the Americas. Children under five years of age, older adults, immunocompromised individuals and other populations in vulnerable situations are disproportionately affected.
Food safety risks are also becoming increasingly complex. Environmental and climatic factors can increase hazards such as mycotoxins and disrupt cold chains and water systems, while food fraud and new food technologies create additional pressures. As international trade expands, hazards can spread more rapidly across borders, underscoring the importance of strong surveillance systems, traceability mechanisms and effective cooperation between countries.
To address these challenges, the new strategy places greater emphasis on prevention and on strengthening the capacities needed to identify, assess and manage food safety risks across the food chain before they result in foodborne illnesses.
"Unsafe food is a preventable threat to health, but preventing it requires strong systems that can identify risks early and act before people become ill," said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa. "As food systems become more interconnected, countries need stronger surveillance, laboratory capacity, risk analysis and cooperation to detect hazards quickly and protect consumers."
Despite progress in strengthening regulatory frameworks, inspection and surveillance systems, laboratory capacity and outbreak response across the Region, important gaps remain in the institutionalization of risk-based approaches, laboratory quality management systems and the systematic use of scientific evidence to guide decision-making.
The strategy responds to these gaps through three mutually reinforcing lines of action.
First, countries will strengthen national food safety systems across the food chain, from production to consumption, through stronger governance, policies and regulations, surveillance, laboratory services, technical capacity and multisectoral coordination.
Second, the strategy promotes the institutionalization of science-based risk analysis by making risk assessment, risk management and risk communication a routine part of decision-making.
Third, it seeks to enhance regional coordination and governance through improved information sharing, preparedness, coordinated response and stronger regional and international cooperation mechanisms.
By 2031, the strategy aims to increase from 8 to 15 the number of countries and territories producing surveillance bulletins on foodborne diseases or outbreaks, and from 8 to 15 those implementing risk-based food inspections. It also seeks to increase from 9 to 15 the number using risk assessment to inform food safety decision-making, and from 19 to 27 those participating in regional food safety cooperation and coordination mechanisms.
“Effective food safety depends on science, evidence and collaboration,” said Dr. Manuel Sánchez, Director of PAHO's Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA). “Countries need the capacity to identify and assess risks, communicate them effectively and translate scientific evidence into decisions that protect consumers. The new strategy provides a framework to strengthen these capacities and promote greater cooperation across the Region.”
The strategy recognizes that food safety cannot be managed by the health sector alone. Consistent with the One Health approach, it promotes stronger coordination among the health, agriculture, environment, trade, industry and consumer protection sectors, recognizing the interconnections among human, animal and environmental health. This integrated approach is further reinforced through stronger laboratory networks, improved outbreak detection, enhanced food safety governance and closer alignment with international standards, including Codex Alimentarius standards.
The Strategy and Plan of Action was developed under the coordination of PANAFTOSA through an extensive consultation process with Member States and regional partners during the first months of 2026. A final virtual consultation held in March brought together ministries of health and agriculture from 27 countries and territories, whose contributions were incorporated into the final document.
PAHO, through PANAFTOSA, will support countries in implementing the strategy through technical cooperation, capacity building, regional networks, partnerships and resource mobilization. These efforts will enable countries to strengthen their food safety systems according to their national contexts, needs and capacities.
