Addressing the antibiotic resistance and improving the food safety in food supply chain (farm-to-fork) in Southeast Asia

Antibiotics are the compounds widely used to treat bacterial infections in human and variety of agricultural sectors including livestock farming, plants and crops, and aquaculture. However, rampant and uncontrolled use of antibiotics results in the emergence of resistant bacterial strains. Such resistant strains on the food chain possibly increase the risk of antibiotic resistant foodborne pathogens. Antibiotic resistant bacteria can reach human either directly via the contact with the infected animal or indirectly via the food chain through the consumption of contaminated food. Prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in Southeast Asia region threatens the global public health as this region is regarded as a hotspot of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The risk of development of antibiotic resistance can be reduced only with appropriate regulation and policies. However, the lack of appropriate surveillance systems in this region leads to the absence of reliable national data on the level of antibiotics. To counteract the risk of antibiotic resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance which has been adopted by several countries in Southeast Asia.