World Food Safety Day is observed on June 7 every year to draw attention and inspire actions to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food safety, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism, and sustainable development.
It is important to know which foods are safe and harmless to our health. There is a famous phrase, “health is wealth.” Safe food is one of the most important guarantees of health. Unsafe foods are the root of a variety of illnesses and contribute to other deterioration of health, including stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, infectious or non-contagious illnesses, and mental illness. According to WHO, one in ten people worldwide is affected by food poisoning each year.
Food, Clothing, and Shelter are termed the basic needs of human beings. Indian and international agencies are striving hard to provide adequate information to the general masses about the importance of safe food.
World Food Safety Day 2022: Theme
The theme of World Food Safety Day 2022 is “Safer food, better health”. The theme highlights that safe, nutritional food plays an important role in ensuring human health.
The slogan for World Food Safety Day is “Food safety is everyone’s business”.
Every year 600 million people infected to various foodborne diseases. Among these children below 5 years of age are at a higher risk. Poverty-ridden sections are more prone to illnesses due to unhygienic food consumption.
World Food Safety Day: History
The United Nations (UN) assigned the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead efforts in promoting food safety around the world.
World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations decided to celebrate 7th June as the First food safety day since 7th June 2019.
A resolution was adopted on December 20, 2018, by the United Nations General Assembly to mark June 7 as the day “celebrating the myriad benefits of safe food”. The World Health Assembly (WHA) passed a resolution on August 3, 2020, declaring June 7 – the World Food Safety Day every year.
The first-ever World Food Safety Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018. The theme of the first-ever Food Safety Day 2019 was “Food Safety, everyone’s business”.
What is Food Safety?
Food safety means that there are no safe and acceptable food hazards that can harm the health of consumers. The dangers posed by food can be chemical or physical in nature and are often invisible to the naked eye. Examples: virus, bacteria or pesticide residues, microbiological factors, etc.
Why food safety is necessary?
It is estimated that 420,000 die each year after eating foods contaminated with viruses, bacteria, parasites and chemicals. Inadequate food safety hinders the development of many low- and middle-income countries, losing about $ 110 billion in productivity associated with disability, illness and premature death of workers.
