Each 7 June is celebrated as United Nations (UN) World Food Safety Day.

The Thammasat University Library collection includes many books about different aspects of food safety.

As the UN website suggests,

Why improving food safety is important

Access to sufficient amounts of safe food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Foodborne illnesses are usually infectious or toxic in nature and often invisible to the plain eye, caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances entering the body through contaminated food or water.

Food safety has a critical role in assuring that food stays safe at every stage of the food chain – from production to harvest, processing, storage, distribution, all the way to preparation and consumption.

With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies, disproportionally affecting vulnerable and marginalized people, especially women and children, populations affected by conflict, and migrants. An estimated 420 000 people around the world die every year after eating contaminated food and children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths every year.

World Food Safety Day on 7 June aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development. The World Health Organization (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 relevant organizations. This international day is an opportunity to strengthen efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe, mainstream food safety in the public agenda and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally.

Food safety is everyone’s business

Under the theme “Food safety, everyone’s business”, the 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 (terrestrial, aquatic, livestock, horticulture), 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 cause damages to our health. Through World Food Safety Day, WHO pursues its efforts to mainstream food safety in the public agenda and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally.

Did you know?

Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances causes more than 200 diseases.

Recent estimates indicate that the impact of unsafe food costs low- and middle-income economies around US$ 95 billion in lost productivity each year.

Good hygiene practices in the food and agricultural sectors help to reduce the emergence and spread of foodborne diseases.

Global Issues: Food

After decades of steady decline, world hunger has slowly been on the rise since 2015. An estimated 821 million people in the world suffered from hunger in 2018. If nothing changes, the immense challenge of achieving the Zero Hunger Target by 2030 will not be achieved. At the same time, overweight and obesity continue to increase in all regions of the world, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019.

This year there are special challenges involving food safety and the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

The UN website explains:

Currently, there is no evidence that the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can be transmitted through food. The virus is transmitted primarily by people, who are infected through coughing and sneezing droplets, which are then picked up by another person. The best way to avoid COVID-19 is through good hygiene practices, including in food production and consumption.

Q&A: COVID-19 and food safety

Q1: Can I get COVID-19 from food?

Currently, there is no evidence that the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can be transmitted by food. The virus is transmitted primarily by people who are infected through coughing and sneezing droplets which are then picked up by another person.

Q2: Can the SAR-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, grow and survive on food?

Coronavirus cannot grow on food. While bacteria under the right conditions can grow on food, a virus such as the one that causes COVID-19, requires a living host in order to multiply. Though the virus can survive on objects and surfaces, it is not known how long it can survive on food and what amount of contamination would make a person sick.  

Q3: Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted through frozen or processed food?

Foodborne transmission of viruses requires that a person consume enough infectious virus to result in infection. There is currently not enough data to say how much SARS-CoV-2 is required to result in infection. Moreover, the contamination of foods and food packaging has, to date, been an extremely rare event. Current evidence does not support food or food packaging as a route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to humans.

Q4: How can I make sure my food is safe to eat?

The best way to avoid COVID-19 is through good hygiene habits. Always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry thoroughly with a clean towel – after shopping, before handling food and during preparation, before eating and after using the bathroom.  All equipment and surfaces used for food preparation should be washed and sanitized.

Follow the WHO 5 keys to safer food.

Q5: As a consumer, how can I keep safe when shopping for food? Should I be concerned about food packaging?

It is important to follow the measures put in place locally at the market or supermarket and maintain physical distance from other people when selecting food items and in line. Keep hands clean and do not shop if you have any symptoms.

Handling food packaging is an unlikely cause of COVID-19. Under experimental conditions, the virus can survive on a variety of surfaces such as plastic or cardboard used in packaging, but it is unlikely that this type of exposure would be sufficient to make a person sick. Always wash your hands after unpacking food. Additional precautions include wiping down and disinfecting surfaces. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth when handling food and food packages and wash reusable shopping bags regularly.

Q6: What measures can food businesses put in place?

Continue to follow national food safety regulations as well as COVID-19-related measures to protect food as well as staff. Food businesses and their operators must reinforce good hygienic practices and standard operating procedures. Strict personnel hygiene is crucial.

Read more – FAO/WHO COVID-19 and Food Safety: Guidance for food businesses: interim guidance available here.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)