Safer food, better health.
Today marks World Food Safety Day, observed all over the world every year on June 7 to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health.
Bearing the theme ‘Safer food, better health’, the day was marked by the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 2018, to celebrate the benefits of safe food.
The theme was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with Member States and other stakeholders, and seeks to underline the fact that safer food is the key to better human health.
Safe food is fundamental to providing life and maintaining good health. Adhering to food safety standards is essential to ensure that the food that is supplied is safe at all stages of the food chain, from production to harvesting, processing, storage, distribution, and finally preparation and consumption.
Foodborne diseases are generally infectious or poisonous in nature, which are sometimes unnoticeable to the naked eye and they enter the body through contaminated food or drink we generally consume.
Foodborne diseases reportedly affect 1 in 10 people worldwide each year. There are over 200 of these diseases – some mild, but others deadly.
The United Nations General Assembly established World Food Safety Day in 2018 to raise awareness of this important issue.
Whether we grow, process, transport, store, sell, buy, prepare or serve food, food safety is in all our hands. And if we work together, we can all help achieve safer food for better health.
Collectively, we all have a role to play.