Experts have identified several areas where the war in Ukraine may impact food safety in Switzerland. A food safety early detection system called FRESIL, introduced by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), aims to identify and assess potential foodborne risks to consumer health. These include risks associated with geopolitical events, such as military conflicts.
A workshop was held in 2023 to establish whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might have an impact on food safety in Switzerland in the medium and long term. From February 2022 to July 2023, Switzerland imported, in descending order of volume, cereals, vegetable oils, soya beans, oil cakes for animal feed, fruits, and fruit preparations. Ukraine also supplies Switzerland indirectly as a trading partner of the European Union.
Resources problem Experts assessed 59 potential risks regarding the likelihood of occurrence and significance for food safety in Switzerland. They were ranked on a 5-point scale, with 0 being “no assessment possible” and four being “extremely likely”. One risk was categorized as “very relevant”, 27 as “relevant” and 31 as “not very relevant,” according to the study published in the journal Food Risk Assess Europe .
The risk classed as “very relevant” was the lack of expertise in primary production and processing because of a lack of specialized personnel. Inadequate self-checks in producing companies exacerbated this, said meeting attendees. A relevant ris.