Global conference explores sustainable development of food safety beyond antimicrobial resistance

“Sustainable Development of Food Safety Beyond Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)” was the central theme of discussions at the 5th Global Conference on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (GCFA), held on 16–17 September in Seoul. The GCFA is the only international event dedicated exclusively to this topic and is hosted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea, which also supports the FAO-implemented, Action to Support Implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project.

Opening the conference, Minister Oh Yu-kyoung welcomed participants, stating: “I hope that this conference will serve as a forum for sharing each country’s policy experiences in addressing foodborne antimicrobial resistance and realizing the value of international cooperation.”

Thanawat Tiensin, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), delivered congratulatory remarks, recalling that both the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024 and the FAO Conference in July 2025 reaffirmed the urgency of AMR as a global threat, and recognized the Codex AMR texts as a foundation for addressing foodborne AMR.

The two-day event brought together experts from international organizations, regulatory agencies, academia and industry, with more than 100 participants in person and 1000 joining online. Discussions reviewed global trends in foodborne AMR and explored technologies for managing AMR across the food supply chain.

The ACT project highlighted FAO’s global efforts on AMR surveillance, showcasing the InFARM platform and the first results from its international call for data. The Government of Nepal shared its experience in establishing integrated surveillance between the food and animal sectors.

This year’s programme introduced a new poster session featuring the work of young scientists, alongside case studies of public–private collaboration. Domestic industries presented initiatives to reduce AMR, while the ACT project spotlighted two success stories:

• Asia: collaboration with the FAO AMR Reference Centre at Chulalongkorn University.
• Bolivia: establishment of the Committee for the Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance in Agricultural Health and Food Safety (CC-RAM), a body fundamental to supervising and coordinating AMR-related activities and ensuring a systematic, comprehensive approach to AMR management.

An ACT video summarizing activities and highlighting country progress was also presented at the event and was well received by participants.

Conference materials, including presentation files and recordings, are available online at: https://mfdsgcfa.kr/Program_2025

Read more

The ACT Project
Watch the ACT video (note that this video contains some graphic scenes from a slaughterhouse that some users may prefer not to see)

Photo © Min Hong-gi