Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia
World Food Safety Day, observed annually on 7 June, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to draw attention to and spur action to help prevent, detect and respond to public health threats related to unsafe food.
World Food Safety Day is jointly promoted by WHO and its sister organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and aims to contribute to food security, consumer health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.
This year's theme is “Food Safety: Preparing for the Unexpected.” Food safety incidents can range from minor events such as a power outage at home, food poisoning at a local restaurant, a manufacturer voluntarily recalling a contaminated product, an outbreak from an imported product, or a natural disaster, to large-scale international crises.
Food safety hazards cross borders, and as the world's food supply becomes increasingly interconnected, the risk posed by unsafe food can quickly escalate from a local issue to an international emergency.
Every day, around 1.6 million people worldwide become sick from eating unsafe food. Nearly 40% of these are children under the age of five, who are already at high risk of malnutrition and death from unsafe food. Foodborne illnesses cost low- and middle-income countries an estimated US$110 billion per year in lost productivity and high health costs.
The Southeast Asian region has the second-highest health burden from consuming contaminated food, with 150 million people falling ill and 175,000 dying annually. The tropical climate of many countries in the region fosters the spread of pests and promotes the formation of naturally occurring toxins, but the situation is exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity and are estimated to have the potential to cause, exacerbate or alter the outbreak and development of food- and water-borne diseases.
In 2004, WHO and FAO launched a global network of national food safety authorities. With 189 member countries, the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) monitors and records hundreds of food safety incidents every year. Members' engagement in INFOSAN is essential to ensure a rapid and effective response to global food safety crises. Through international cooperation during food safety incidents, risk management strategies are efficiently implemented to prevent further distribution of contaminated foods.
This year we are reminded that food safety is a shared responsibility and governments, producers and consumers all need to play their part in ensuring food safety.
Governments are encouraged to develop national food safety emergency response plans and regularly test their effectiveness, as well as strengthen other elements of the national food control system, such as foodborne illness surveillance and regular risk-based food testing. Multisectoral cooperation, including food safety authorities and food producers, will help minimize the public health impact.
Producers or food businesses are responsible for implementing and updating food safety management plans, including regular staff training and immediate response in case of a food safety incident. They should ensure that food handlers undergo important food safety related health checks and are vaccinated against typhoid and viral hepatitis A. A typhoid conjugate vaccine has been introduced, while improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is recommended, as these measures can prevent 80% of water- and food-borne diseases.
Consumers need to be empowered to practice safe food handling practices at home and follow the WHO's “Five Keys to Safer Food”. It is important to educate consumers on how to report food safety incidents and how to respond to unexpected situations that may occur in the home.
Today, on World Food Safety Day, it's worth remembering that we are all risk managers. We all assess food safety risks as part of the choices we make every day. These choices are made individually and collectively by families, communities, businesses and governments.
Let’s commit to doing our part to draw attention and drive action on preventing, detecting and controlling foodborne risks.
