Miller Magazine Issue: 117 September 2019

53 COVER STORY MILLER / SEPTEMBER 2019 ing, distribution, and preparation are creating a grow- ing demand by consumers for effective, coordinated, and proactive national food safety systems. Those programs are essential to protect consumer health and protect national economies from trade disrup- tions. Food safety programs should: • cover the entire food chain from production to consumption • take into account both naturally occurring, and deliberate threats of contamination • consider national, regional, and international specificities and requirements • involve consumers and be transparent. INNOVATION AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT THE SERVICE OF FOOD SAFETY The use of new technologies in the realm of food safety and trade; how trade in safe food can be fa- cilitated at the borders; multi-stakeholder coordina- tion and harmonizing food safety regulation are the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid tech- nological change and digitalization. The advance of science and technology is one of the most import- ant drivers of change at the nexus of food standards and trade. New technologies continue to be devel- oped for application to production, processing and handling of food. Food safety governance of these novel technologies and processes must keep pace with their development. There continues to be rapid advancement in diagnostic tools. Consumers are increasingly demanding informa- tion about their food to make informed consumption choices. In that contex, digitalization and information technology will have a profound impact on trade and food standards. SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS Agriculture is a dominant force behind many environ- mental threats, including climate change, land scar- city and degradation, freshwater scarcity, biodiversity loss, degradation of forest and fishery resources, and