World Food Safety Day

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed that every 7 June would be World Food Safety Day. WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with Member States and other relevant organizations.

The UN resolution noted that “there is no food security without food safety and that in a world where the food supply chain has become more complex, any adverse food safety incident may have global negative effects on public health, trade and the economy”. It also emphasizes that improving food safety contributes positively to trade, employment and poverty alleviation.

World Food Safety Day aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development. This is based on scientific principles and in line with World Trade Organization measures. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the parent organizations of the Codex Alimentarius

This year’s theme, ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’, stresses that production and consumption of safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy. Recognizing the systemic connections between the health of people, animals, plants, the environment and the economy will help us meet the needs of the future.

Food safety is a shared responsibility between governments, producers and consumers.  Everyone has a role to play from farm to table to ensure the food we consume is safe and healthy. 

Ensure it’s safe - Government must ensure safe and nutritious food for all

Grow it safe - Agriculture and food producers need to adopt good practices

Keep it safe - Business operators must make sure food is safe

Know whats safe - Consumers need to learn about safe and healthy food

Team up for food safety - Work together for safe food and good health

Safe food is essential to human health and well-being

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 600 million people fall ill and 420 000 die every year from eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals. However, these numbers represent only ‘the tip of the iceberg’ as comprehensive surveillance data for foodborne illnesses is not available everywhere. When food is not safe, humans cannot benefit from its nutritional value and cannot grow and develop.

Investing in food safety today will reap future rewards
Safe food production improves economic opportunities by enabling market access and productivity. At the same time, good practices along the supply chain improve sustainability, minimizing environmental damage and the amount of agricultural product that has to be discarded. Unsafe or contaminated food leads to trade rejections, economic losses and food loss and waste.

The One Health approach improves food safety
Food safety requires a holistic approach, such as ‘One Health’, which recognizes the connection between the health of people, animals, plants and the environment. Animal and plant health are critical to agriculture producing enough food to feed the world. Keeping animals healthy will also minimize the risk of zoonotic pathogens (disease-causing organisms that can be transmitted between animals and humans), antimicrobial resistant organisms and more.

Food safety is based on science
Looking at or smelling food is not a reliable way to check if it is safe, but scientists have developed tests and tools to do so. Food scientists, microbiologists, veterinarians, medical doctors and toxicologists, to name a few, advise what food production, processing, handling and preparation practices are needed to make and keep food safe. When food safety practices are employed across the food chain, the result is safe food.

FAO and WHO support efforts worldwide to keep food safe and protect consumer health. FAO addresses food safety issues along the food supply chain while WHO works with the public health sector to lower the burden of foodborne diseases. The two organizations have joint programmes on food standards (Codex Alimentarius), the provision of scientific advice (JECFA,

The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission brings together the expertise of both organizations and its 189 Members to establish science-based international standards, guidelines and codes of practice that help ensure food safety and quality in a consensual, inclusive and transparent way. It addresses all food-related issues: contaminants, hygienic practices, labelling, additives, inspection and certification, nutrition and residues of veterinary drugs and pesticides.

All Food Safety Management Systems are based on Codex Alimentarius

World Food Safety Day helps to raise the awareness of the fundamentals of food safety. The WHO advocates a 5 keys method which covers: 

1. Keep Clean
This applies to hands, plates, utensils and equipment such as cutting boards. Rinsing these under the tap only rinses away the food particles, it does NOT kill the microorganisms, this requires either hot water or a sanitising solution.

2. Separate raw and cooked
Raw food, especially meat, poultry and fish, contain dangerous microorganisms that can be transferred onto other items during preparation and storage. Separate equipment should be used and items stored in covered containers to prevent contact. These measures help prevent cross contamination

3. Cook thoroughly
Proper cooking destroys most dangerous microorganisms making the food safe to eat. Cooking to a temperature of 75°C can help make it safe for consumption. Stews and curries should be stired to ensure all areas reach this temperature. Cooked food should be reheated to this temperature as well.

4. Keep at safe temperatures
Microorganisms thrive at temperatures between 20 °C and 50 °C . As the Maldives has a hot and humid climate, the a daily ambient temperature is perfect for microrganisms, which is why food, especially protein based foods such as meat, chicken, fish and dairy items, should never be kept at room temperature. All perishable items should be refrigerated and kept below 5°C or kept hot, above 63 °C to slow the growth of microorganisms.

5.Use safe water and raw materials
This is a challenge in certain areas of the world where access to clean water is a luxury. Clean water should be used to wash fruit and vegetables, add to food, mix drinks, make ice and wash both hands and equipment

Everyday people all over the world get sick from the food they eat, Food Safety is often associated with restaurants, hotels, cafes etc and often forgotten about in the home, which is where a lot of cases occur. Most foodborne disease is preventable with proper food handling

Although covid is not a foodborne disease the extra emphasis on handwash and cleaning will have certainly helped control it as will mask use.

Many of the covid controls are related to personal hygiene which is one of the key ways of preventing foodborne disease and food poisoning.

Consumption of ‘safe food’ has long term benefits for everyone as good health and nutrition help ward off illness and strengthen the immune system, aiding mental and physical health and wellbeing. Follow good personal hygiene practices and the practices outlined in the 5 keys to keep yourself and your family safe

Source WHO