World Food Safety Day 2022 — 'Safer Food, Better Health'

Highlights:

Food-borne diseases range from mild to severe and can even lead to death
Collectively incorporating hygienic food safety practices, we can prevent food-borne illness
Each person has a role to play on World Food Safety Day to raise food safety awareness

World Food Safety Day, celebrated on June 7th every year, draws global attention to the health consequences of contaminated food and water.

The United Nations established this day in 2018 to raise awareness of food safety. Later, the WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) joined this celebration.

Year after year, it has seen growing initiatives that help increase the public’s awareness of food safety, which is a great achievement. This has to be continued, for which everyone should join the 2022 campaign.

All You Need to Know About Foodborne Illnesses
Do you ignore mild stomach pains? Then beware you may face severe complications of foodborne illnesses that can be very difficult to treat later.

‘World Food Safety Day 2022 campaign focuses on the importance of safe food, which is essential for human health and well-being.’
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Safety First When it Comes for Food

We are all food consumers and want our food to be safe. Food-borne diseases also known as food poisoning can cause significant illness and most serious for people who are pregnant, older (over age 65), younger (under age 5) and people who have a weak immune system.

If we come together collectively to incorporate good food safety practices in our day-to-day lives, we can prevent food-borne illness and promote productivity.

Each person in the society has a role to play whether you grow, process, transport, store, sell, buy, prepare or serve food. This shows that food safety is in your hands.

This Year’s Theme: Safer Food, Better Health

Keeping these facts in mind, World Food Safety Day 2022 theme is “Safer food, better health”. Safe food is important for health and well-being. Only when food is safe, you canfully benefit from its nutritional value and the mental and social benefits of sharing a safe meal.

Unsafe foods cause many diseases and contribute to other poor health conditions, such as impaired growth, micronutrient deficiencies, non-communicable or communicable diseases, and mental illness. The good news is that most food-borne diseases are preventable.

The way we build food systems and how we organize food supply chains can prevent infectious and toxic hazards, microbial pathogens, chemical residues, biotoxins, and other noxious or dangerous.

To make safe and healthy foods accessible for all, agricultural, trade, and industry development policies need to promote food safety.

Are the Youth Aware About Food Safety? WHO's Social Media Campaign Gives Pointers
According to World Health Organization (WHO), each year, unsafe food practices is the leading cause of over two million deaths, including 700,000 children, in the South-East Asia Region.

Food-Borne Diseases: Facts and Figures

One in 10 people worldwide falls ill from contaminated food each year throughout the world.
The magnitude of the public health burden due to food-borne diseases is similar to that of malaria or HIV/AIDS.
Over 200 diseases are caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances such as heavy metals.
Each year, an estimated 700,000 people die around the globe because of antimicrobial-resistant infections.
The estimated number of illnesses from 11 main parasitic diseases is 48.4 million per year, 48% of which are transmitted through food.
Children under the age of 5 are at a higher risk of malnutrition and mortality due to unsafe food and carry 40%of the food-borne disease burden.

Drinking Raw Milk Increases Risk for Food-Borne Illness
The new study found that microbial contaminants in milk include infectious Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria species along with the Escherichia coli type O157:H7.

Ways to Celebrate

Host a webinar and bring about key players in the food system to talk about everyone’s role in food safety.
Organize an event for the general public — concerts, festivals or fairs, food tastings, or cooking demonstrations with a food safety message.
Launch an engaging campaign on social media and post your videos, brochures, and posters using the tag #worldfoodsafetyday
Fitness is a great way to encourage people to get involved in their communities for a cause. Therefore, organize a run, march, walk, or dance to promote food safety.
Share the experiences of food workers, farmers, health professionals, or someone who has suffered a food-borne illness to help people understand how important food safety is.

World Food Safety Day is a reminder that only when we work together, can we achieve safer food for better health. Let’s all join hands and celebrate this day together.

References:

World Food Safety Day 2022 - (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-food-safety-day/2022)
World Food Safety Day 2022 - (https://www.paho.org/en/campaigns/world-food-safety-day-2022)
World Food Safety Day 7 June - (https://www.un.org/en/observances/food-safety-day)
World Food Safety Day - (https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/world-food-safety-day)

Source-Medindia