ISO standards contribute to meeting World Food Day 2008 challenge
6th November 2008
World Food Day 2008 addresses what has been categorised by many as one of the greatest challenges of our time: climate change and its impact on food security, reports environmentalexpert.com
ISO has an important contribution to make, not only through its numerous International Standards on food related issues, but also through standards that help quantify and mitigate climate change. World Food Day is organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Commission (FAO) each year on the 16 October. The event provides an opportunity to highlight the plight of the 862 million undernourished people in the world – a number that FAO warns could be pushed even higher if the threat of global warming and the consequences of a rising demand for bioenergy are not addressed.
ISO’s portfolio of environmental standards provides practical tools for addressing these issues. Among these are ISO 14001 which has become the global benchmark for environmental management systems, ISO 14064 which gives the requirements for quantifying, monitoring and reporting on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ISO 14065 which specifies accreditation requirements for organizations validating or verifying GHG emission assertions.
ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden comments: “Climate change mitigation, energy efficiency, water supply and food security are inter-related challenges – all of which ISO addresses through its existing standards and current developments.”
