The International Labour Organization’s Meeting of Experts on a Code of Practice on Occupational Safety and Health in Aquaculture marked an important step for one of the fastest-growing parts of the global food system. Representatives have adopted the first-ever ILO code of practice for occupational safety and health in aquaculture, giving the sector a clearer international framework to improve worker protection and reduce preventable harm.

For the Decent Work for Equitable Food Systems Coalition, this outcome matters because aquaculture employs more than 20 million people globally, and many more depend on it across supply chains. Yet workers in aquaculture often face serious risks, including long hours, heavy physical labor, exposure to hazardous chemicals, unpredictable weather, drowning hazards, machinery accidents, and weak access to training or enforcement. A dedicated code of practice helps shift occupational safety and health from an afterthought to a core condition of sustainable production.

The meeting outcome is significant for three reasons: 

• First, it gives governments, employers, and workers a common reference point for action through social dialogue and tripartite cooperation. 
• Second, it supports stronger inspection, training, and risk management systems in a sector where many workers operate informally or with limited protections. 
• Third, it reinforces the idea that decent work and food system resilience go hand in hand: safer workplaces are essential for workers’ rights, stable production, responsible growth, and long-term sustainability.

The code is not the end of the story and its real value will depend on how it is translated into national laws, industry standards, collective bargaining, and day-to-day practice. That means investing in labor inspection, worker voice, gender-responsive safety measures, and practical training for small and large producers alike. It also means linking aquaculture safety to wider food systems work on fair wages, formalization, child labor prevention, and climate resilience. Occupational safety and health is a food systems issue. The new ILO code offers a concrete tool to advance decent work in aquaculture, but it will only deliver if governments, employers, unions, civil society, and international agencies help turn it into implementation on the ground