Report shares highlights from World Food Safety Day

More than 300 events have been organized in 90 countries to promote the third World Food Safety Day, according to a new report.

International organizations, governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, academics and individuals organized the mostly virtual meetings to mark the day promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations for food and agriculture (FAO).

The theme of the annual day of June 7 was Safe food now for a healthy future.The COVID-19 pandemic meant, for the second time, that many celebrations were online. The idea of ​​such a day was raised at a session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2016 and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018.

In total, there were 4,050 World Food Safety Day tweets, 6,403 retweets, 3,114 likes and 681 replies from 4,194 Twitter accounts in 2021. According to Facebook, 24,000 people posted about the daytime.

Pre and post WFSD action
A campaign was launched in February with a live broadcast on YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn, featuring stories from around the world. A guide to World Food Safety Day was published a month later in six languages.

The International Network of Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) organized three webinars at the end of April. These 30-minute sessions presented in English, French and Spanish attracted over 100 members and the recordings have been viewed over 150 times.

Directors-General and senior scientists from FAO and WHO celebrated the day with topics covered including the role of science and the importance of technology.

Prior to the United Nations Food Systems Summit in September, WHO organized a series of health conferences in June on the role of food safety in the wider food system. These included a virtual discussion on WHO’s plans to make food safety an indicator of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Markus Lipp, senior food safety officer at FAO, said where food is unsafe, hunger will persist.

Where food is not safe, people – especially children – will never reach their full potential as health and well-being will remain elusive; where food is not safe, farmers and food producers cannot sell their products in international markets. After air and water, food is the third most basic and urgent human need. And to keep our food safe, each person must do their part every day, he said.

Highlights of Africa and the Americas
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas participated in the National Environmental Health Associations (NEHA) 24-hour live event co-hosted with Environmental Health Australia (EHA).

Kansas State Universitys Food Science Institute students and staff have prepared a podcast and video on the importance of food safety.

In Africa, FAO, WHO, World Food Program (WFP) and FAO / WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA) hosted a webinar.

According to WHO estimates released in 2015, 91 million Africans fall ill each year from foodborne illness and 137,000 die from it. The diseases are mainly caused by cassava cyanide, aflatoxins, foodborne cholera and E. coli.

In the Near East and North Africa, the Qatari Ministry of Health has illuminated its building in orange to visually celebrate World Food Safety Day.

The FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the International Regional Organization of Agricultural Health (OIRSA) and the FAO / WHO Coordinating Office The Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) hosted a two-day webinar with 3,800 participants.

Focus Asia and Europe
In the Asia-Pacific region, FAO, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), WFP, WHO and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) held a meeting that brought together around 800 participants from 69 countries.

The FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the WHO Regional Office for Europe hosted a webinar on World Food Safety Day with Hans Kluge, Regional Director of the WHO Europe, claiming that the number of people falling ill or dying from unsafe food is staggering and unacceptable.

Luz Maria De-Regil, Unit Head, Multisectoral Action in Food Systems at WHO, said the magnitude of the public health burden of foodborne illness is comparable to that of malaria or HIV AIDS .

When food security is improved, hunger and malnutrition decrease. When food is healthy, children receive the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. When foodborne illnesses are avoided, children and adults miss fewer days at school and at work, improving their present and future income potential, she said.

World Food Safety Day aims to create change at the global, regional, national and local levels. More than a day, it sets in motion a year-long campaign to improve food safety and is a way to keep the momentum going, according to FAO and WHO. The campaign will mark its fourth year in 2022.

Efforts will be reinforced with updated FAO and WHO food safety strategies, both scheduled for next year, to respond more effectively to current and emerging issues and reduce the burden of disease. food origin.

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