World Food Safety Day June 7th

On its 73rd session of the United Nations General assembly in New York, UN declared June 7th is world food safety day. Food is the only medicine that we should be consuming to have healthy body and mind. If we consume safe and good food, our health improves, and our body will face any conditions.

This decision of declaring June 7th as World Food Safety Day is because of the initiative taken by Awilo Ochieng Pernet in 2015, when she was heading Codex Alimentarius commission or CAC. In association with Food and Agriculture organization of United Nations (FAO) and WHO Costa Rica lead the negotiations on this decision. On June 7th United Nations General Assembly’s resolution invites all parties involved including -authorities, industry, consumers, international organizations, NGOs and academia to take part in promoting food safety at all levels.

“World Food Safety Day will be a chance for everyone to take a moment to think about something we often take for granted: Food safety” : Codex secretary Tom Helandt.

What is Codex Alimentarius?

The Codex Alimentarius is a set of standards, guidelines and codes of practice adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). Since 1963, its mission has been to develop a standardized food code to protect the health of all consumers across the world and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. Switzerland is a founding member of the Codex.

Food safety is nothing but absence of hazards in foods that includes chemicals, microbes or any physical in nature that are often invisible to our eyes including pesticide, bacteria, viruses, residues etc. Food safety assures us that whatever the food that we are going to consume at every stage of food chain is safe to consume and does not cause harm to body. It is safety of food from farm to production to harvest, processing, storage, distribution, preparation and consumption.

Unsafe food and food borne illness is the biggest threat for humans and animals. It is huge threat for economy as it dis- proportionally impacts vulnerable people including children and women. It also affects those who are affected by war zones, conflicts and migrants in a negative way. In developed and developing country nearly three million people die due to waterborne and food borne illness. According to WHO, contaminated food alone is responsible for more than 200 diseases ranging from diarrhea to cancer in humans. Reasons for such deaths is, food is the primary source of our body energy, health and well-being. Without checking what we eat and being ignorant are many times the reason for food borne illness. Taking proper precautions and understanding the regulations and standards that is imposed by food safety officials is one way to control food borne illness and to have safe food.

World food safety day is bringing sustainable development goals to prevent, detect and manage foodborne illness. Safe food boosts not just economy also, agriculture, market access, increases tourism and sustainable development in the developing countries.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) is the only organization overseeing food safety along all aspects of food chain. All stages of food chain from farm to consumption is monitored closely by this International organization. World Health Organization supports global food safety and consumers health. WHO oversees relationships with public health sector.

While these two organizations playing their role, there is role that consumers must play too. Consumers should purchase and eat what is safe for them and their family. Food helps us to stay alive. Having safe food is essential for good health and longer life

What are the 5 Keys for safe food consumption?

The core messages of the Five Keys to Safer Food are:

1. keep clean

2. separate raw and cooked

3. cook thoroughly

4. keep food at safe temperatures

5. use safe water and raw materials

By adopting these five food handling practices most of the food borne diseases can be prevented. Eat safe and be safe!

References:

https://www.un.org/

https://www.paho.org

http://safeconsume.eu/