World Food Safety Day is marked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) annually to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report says that globally, one in ten people are affected by foodborne diseases annually.
World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year worldwide on 16 October to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with hunger and food security, including the World Food Programme.
Celebrated on June 7
The World Health Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. WFP received the Nobel Prize in Peace for 2020 for their efforts to combat hunger, contribute to peace in conflict areas, and for playing a leading role in stopping the use of hunger in the form of a weapon for war and conflict.
The World Food Day theme for 2014 was Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth”; in 2015 it was “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”; in 2016 it is Climate Change: “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”, which echoes the theme of 2008, and of 2002 and 1989 before that. The theme of 2020 was “Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future.”
While safe food is a marker of good health, unsafe food can cause many diseases. Poor food quality contributes to worsening health conditions, such as impaired growth and development, micronutrient deficiencies, non-communicable or communicable diseases and mental illness.
Foodborne diseases are usually invisible to the eye and infectious or toxic, making food safety a critical issue. Additionally, World Food Safety Day is marked to disseminate the message that food should stay safe at every stage – from production to harvest, processing, storage, distribution, preparation and consumption.
World Food Safety Day 2022 Theme:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the theme of World Food Safety Day in March. This year, the theme is ‘Safer food, better health’. WHO also launched a campaign to inspire global participation.
World Food Safety Day History and Significance:
The United Nations General Assembly established World Food Safety Day in 2018 to raise awareness of this vital food safety issue. The WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) jointly kickstarted World Food Safety Day in collaboration with the member states and other stakeholders.
The slogan “Food safety, everyone’s business”,
Action-oriented campaign promotes global food safety awareness and calls upon countries and decision makers, the private sector, civil society, UN organizations and the general public to take action.The way in which food is produced, stored, handled and consumed affects the safety of our food.
Complying with Global food standards, establishing effective regulatory food control systems including emergency preparedness and response, providing access to clean water, applying good agriculture practices, strengthening the use of food safety management systems by food business operators, and building capacities of consumers to make healthy food choices are some ways in which governments, international organizations, scientists, the private sector and civil society work to ensure food safety.
Food safety is a shared responsibility between governments, producers and consumers. Everybody has a role to play from farm to table to ensure the food we consume is safe and will not damage our health. Through World Food Safety Day, WHO and FAO pursue efforts to mainstream food safety in the public agenda and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally.
