Ensuring food safety is essential for the well-being of all living beings, including humans. Safe food significantly contributes to the health of individuals and society at large. A society composed of healthy individuals is more resilient to dangers, disasters, and adverse situations.
Among the necessities for human survival — food, clothing, and shelter — food stands out as particularly crucial. Access to safe and nutritious food enables individuals to thrive and overcome societal challenges. Moreover, it allows parents to raise their children in a healthy environment, fostering both physical and mental development.
Food safety plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the food supply chain, encompassing every stage from production to consumption. That includes production, harvesting, processing, storage, distribution, preparation, and consumption. Foodborne illnesses, which are often caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances, pose a significant threat. These contaminants, invisible to the naked eye, can enter the body through contaminated food or water, leading to infectious or toxic conditions.
The United Nations highlights the gravity of this issue, noting an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually. Unsafe food poses a threat to both human health and economies, disproportionately affecting vulnerable and marginalized populations such as women, children, conflict-affected individuals, and migrants. Globally, about 420,000 people die each year due to contaminated food, with children under five bearing 40 per cent of this burden, resulting in 125,000 deaths annually.
To address this critical issue, it contributes to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism, and sustainable development. This year, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations collaborate with Member States and relevant organizations to facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day in accord with the theme “Food safety: prepare for the unexpected”.
The safety of the food supply is crucial for sustaining healthy societies. Ensuring that food remains safe from farm to table protects public health, bolsters economic growth, and enhances societal resilience. Food safety incidents, which pose potential or confirmed health risks, can arise from accidents, insufficient controls, food fraud, or natural events. Managing these incidents requires concerted efforts from policymakers, food safety authorities, farmers, and food business operators. Hygiene production chain of safe foods can contribute to healthy conditions for humans and society. Hence, individuals have to choose the best options for shaping a healthy society.
