Today June 7 annually, world food safety day is celebrated to draw attention and mobilize action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks.
“Safe food is one of the most critical guarantors of good health. Unsafe foods are the cause of many diseases and contribute to other poor health conditions, such as impaired growth and development, micronutrient deficiencies, non-communicable or communicable diseases and mental illness. Globally, one in ten people is affected by foodborne diseases annually.”–WHO
Today WHO announces the theme for this year’s World Food Safety Day, “Safer food, better health” and launches the campaign organizing to inspire global participation.
“The campaign stresses the need to transform food systems to deliver better health in a sustainable manner in order to prevent most foodborne diseases. Food systems policy-makers, practitioners and investors are invited to reorient their activities to increase the sustainable production and consumption of safe foods in order to improve health outcomes.—WHO
Some key facts by WHO
- Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked.
- An estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years (DALYs).
- US$ 110 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries.
- Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths every year.
- Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade.
