World Food Safety Day 2021

Samreek Bhatta, Delhi Public School, Megacity, Kolkata

Purpose of World Food Safety Day:

World Food Safety Day (WFSD) celebrated on the 7^th of June each year, aims at drawing attention and encouraging people to take action to facilitate the reduction, prevention, and detection of foodborne risks, that contribute to food security, human health, sustainable development, and various other factors. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly commemorate the events of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with its member states and other organizations to this cause. This international day is a chance to strengthen efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe for the public so that the burden of foodborne diseases all over the world comes to an end. The United Nations (UN) has embraced the commemoration of this day as a powerful advocacy tool to address the global food and hunger problems. 

The theme of World Food Safety Day 2021:

The theme for World Food Safety Day 2021, as mentioned by WHO, is “Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow”. This focuses on the fact that production, as well as consumption of such foods, should be encouraged, which prove to be beneficial to men and society, not only in the present but also in the near future.

Since 2015, world hunger rates have abruptly increased. In the year 2018 alone, approximately 821 million people suffered from hunger all over the world. If no steps are taken, the immense challenge of achieving the Zero Hunger Target by 2030 will not be achieved. Again, various parts of the world (especially the developing countries) have witnessed episodes of epidemics (sometimes even pandemics) such as Cholera, Typhoid, etc. These are diseases mainly spread by the consumption of contaminated food and water. Thus, here comes the utmost necessity of consuming safe and healthy food.

Why improving food safety is vital?

Access to an adequate amount of safe food is the key to the sustainability of life and promoting good health. Foodborne illnesses are usually infectious or harmful and often invisible to the naked eye, caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances entering the body through adulterated food or water. Food safety plays a significant role in guaranteeing that the food is safe at each stage of the food chain – right from production till it is harvested, processed, stored, and distributed to the consumers and is eaten by them.

With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses yearly, unsafe food is a menace to human health, affecting helpless and marginalized people, especially women and children, populations affected by conflict, and migrants. Approximately 420000 people around the world die annually due to the consumption of contaminated food. It has been assessed, that children below the age of five years are alone responsible for carrying ~40% of the foodborne disease burden, causing around 125,000 deaths each year.

Food Safety is Everybody’s Business:

The UN has started a campaign to promote global food safety awareness. Their theme is “Food safety, everyone’s business”. In this campaign, the UN is calling upon countries and decision-makers, the private sector, civil society, UN organizations, and the general public to take action. The safety of our food is dependent on how it is produced, stored, and handled before it is consumed. Few of the many ways in which governments, international organizations, scientists, the private sector, and civil society work to ensure food safety are complying with global food standards. These steps aim at establishing effective regulatory food control systems including emergency preparedness and response, providing access to clean water, applying good agriculture practices (terrestrial, aquatic, livestock, horticulture). They also plan to strengthen the use of food safety management systems by food business operators and improve the ability of consumers to make healthy food choices.

Food Safety and its relation with the ongoing pandemic:

Till now, there has been no evidence that the Covid-19 virus can be transmitted via food. It can primarily be transmitted by people, who are infected through coughing and sneezing droplets, which are then picked up by another person. Instead of dining at a restaurant or other public places, we can get the food home delivered (contactless delivery) or avail take away facility, so we need not remove our masks for a longer period in public. However, it is advisable to avoid street food and other fast-food items during this period and shift to healthy diet plans. The best way to keep away from COVID-19 is through good hygiene practices, including food production and consumption. 

Thus, food safety is a shared responsibility among governments, producers, and consumers. Everybody has a role to play from farm to table to ensure that the food we consume is safe and will not be detrimental to our health. This World Food Safety Day, let us pledge to be responsible citizens and take care of the safety of our food for today and tomorrow.

Also read: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: an Autoimmune Disorder

References:

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/06/07/default-calendar/world-food-safety-day-2021—safe-food-now-for-a-healthy-tomorrow
2. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/events/detail/2021/06/07/western-pacific-events/world-food-safety-day-2021

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International Day for Biological Diversity- https://bioxone.in/news/worldnews/international-day-for-biological-diversity-2021/