[International programs for providing food safety]

Food is one of more important carriers by which factors polluting the environment (especially biological and chemical ones) can be introduced into a human organism. The problem of diseases spreading by food has not been sufficiently studied. It is estimated that about 5% of those diseases are in most European countries notified and registered. Due to many reasons, the problem of food safety has been becoming more and more urgent in recent years. In particular countries and on an international scale there have been steps taken so as to increase health safety from food. Recently, a UNDP scheme called Effective Systems Application for Food Safety has been drawn up. In order to put it into effect, a meeting of the so called steering group was organized in Nowy Sad (Yugoslavia) on 24-26 Oct 1988. Much attention is paid to creating a network of laboratories controlling the incidence of diseases spreading by food, mainly to exchange information on both early warning of danger and on the research of the group.