World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2022 will draw attention and mobilize action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health. Foodborne diseases affect 1 in 10 people worldwide each year. There are over 200 of these diseases – some mild, but others deadly.

The United Nations General Assembly established World Food Safety Day in 2018 to raise awareness of this important issue. WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with Member States and other stakeholders.

This year’s theme, “Safer food, better health”, highlights the role that safe, nutritional food plays in ensuring human health and well-being and calls for a set of specific actions to make food safer.<

We all have a role to play; whether we grow, process, transport, store, sell, buy, prepare or serve food, food safety is in all our hands. And if we work together, we can all help achieve safer food for better health.

World Food Safety Day is celebrated annually on 7 June to draw attention and mobilize action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health.

“Safer food, better health”

Safe food is one of the most critical guarantors for 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, noncommunicable or communicable diseases and mental illness. Globally, one in ten people are affected by foodborne diseases annually.

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, jointly with FAO, is calling on everyone to join the World Food Safety Day campaign to ensure safe food for all. The campaign guide, available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, presents information and ideas on how to take part in the fourth World Food Safety Day.

The United Nations General Assembly established World Food Safety Day in 2018 to raise awareness of this important issue. WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with Member States and other stakeholders.

Calls to action

Policy makers

• Design all public procurement of food, such as food aid, school feeding and other publicly owned food outlets, so that consumers can access safe and healthy foods.
• Support policy measures and legal frameworks to strengthen the national food safety system and ensure it complies with food safety standards.
• Encourage and engage in multisectoral collaboration at the local, national, regional and global levels.

 Food business

• Engage employees, suppliers and other stakeholders to grow and develop a food safety culture.
• Comply with international food standards.

 Educational institutions and workplaces

• Promote safe food handling.
• Engage with families and involve families in food safety activities.
• Support food safety education.

Consumers

• Practice safe food handling at home and follow WHO’s Five Keys to Safer Food: keep clean, separate raw and cooked, cook thoroughly, keep food at safe temperatures and use safe water and raw materials.
• Keep informed and promote food safety. Learn about food safety and join the #WorldFoodSafetyDay campaign.

You can download A guide to world food safety day 2022 here: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-HEP-NFS-AFS-2022.1

For more information please visit www.WHO.org

Image credit: Image by 泊悦 枫美 from Pixabay (Free for commercial use) & World Health Organization image