World Food Safety Day – safe food everywhere

World Food Safety Day was announced by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 2018 with the incentive to rise awareness on the meaning of safe food for human health, the society and for the future. Safe food saves lives, as it is not only an essential element of food security, but plays an important role in decreasing the number of food-borne diseases. There are more than 200 such diseases that constitute an important global burden, as they affect the health, livelihood, education and economy.

Data reliability is a key to appropriate measures

This year’s topic of the WFSD under the motto From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere wishes to highlight the importance of data in adopting the appropriate measures in the food safety sector. Reliable data on the healthcare, diseases, disease agents, incidence of disease and other data, facilitate the transition from the mere recognition of issues to the more focussed and cost-effective solutions.

Everyone in the food chain – from farmers and producers to transporters, traders, inspectors, cooks, and consumers – benefits from scientific advances and clear guidelines on prevention of contamination and of incidence of diseases. Governments can convert data into cost-effective policies and actions, food businesses can improve their practices, and consumers can adopt evidence-based decisions.

Scientific research, monitoring data and standardised risk analysis constitute the basis for the informed decision-making. Evidence-based approaches strengthen the national food-control systems, and enhance public confidence.

Food-borne diseases can be prevented

Numerous food-borne diseases can be prevented by actions such as washing, peeling, cooking, pasteurisation, safe handling of prepared food, improved use of irrigation water sources, and effective official controls. Putting these actions into practice in everyday life shall however require the sustained commitment.

Food-borne disease patterns tend to differ and change

Contributions of individual food-borne disease agents tend to differ as to geographical location, thus constituting differing risks for different population groups. For this reason, targeted actions are required for individual population groups, adapted to national circumstances. Differences result from differences in production procedures, contamination of the environment, and nutritional habits of consumers. Also climate change belongs to factors of the changing food-safety risks. It facilitates the growth and spread of certain harmful bacteria, viruses, and the development of toxins in food, soil and water. Food-borne disease data gathering is therefore of key importance for assuming the targeted measures. 

Certain population groups are more affected by food-borne diseases than others, and children  frequently suffer most grave health consequences. Certain risk factors in foodstuffs can cause immediate morbidity, whilst the consequences of exposure to certain chemical pollutants and to other food-related hazards may be lasting, in the form of chronic disease, including certain cancer types, of development disorders and other health issues.

Food-borne diseases affect the economy

Due to healthcare costs, sick-leave absenteeism, and decreased productivity, food-borne diseases affect also the economy. Unsafe and hazardous food places a burden on the public health systems, disrupts the operation of markets, constitutes an obstacle to trade, and countries may suffer extensive economic losses.

Harmonised policies and concerted action in the spheres of healthcare, agriculture, trade, environment and consumer protection thus ensure the safety to all, and a highest possible effect.

Responsibility for food safety is on all of us

As compared to other developed third countries, there apply very high food safety standards within the European Union. They are based on scientific evidence, clarifying how and why food contamination arises and what health risks it brings. These standards shall be followed by everyone handling foodstuffs – producers, processors, transporters, distributors, catering industry, and traders.

Applicable measures ensure that unsafe and hazardous foodstuffs do not enter the market and are immediately withdrawn from circulation. Each Food Business Operator (FBO) shall define and control the risk factors and, by implementing the traceability measures and through mutual notification on detected non-compliances, provide for the appropriate protection of consumers, and thereby, of public health.

Inspection services, through integrated control system, conduct verifications that FBOs have in place the appropriate internal control of food safety. Inspection and controls are conducted on the basis of risk assessment, and in case of detected non-compliances, the required measures are imposed, strengthening also the inspection and control.

And finally, responsibility for food safety is also on us, the consumers, to handle appropriately from the point of purchasing, up to preparing and keeping at home the foodstuffs.

Food safety is therefore a common responsibility of all the links in the agrifood chain, national authorities, and consumers, and it shall be based on mutual trust and timely information exchange.

Via the hashtag #Safe2EatEU you can find more information on food safety in Europe, and adopt well-informed decisions on foodstuffs that you purchase, so that you may eat safe and healthy food on a daily basis, and enjoy it as well.