World Food Safety Day: The first wealth is health

June 7, 2020, marks the second annual observance of World Food Safety Day. Food safety has become a major cause of concern in the past few years as the consumption of contaminated food has increased at large.

The way in which food is produced, stored, handled, and consumed affects the safety of our food and may harm the health of consumers. Hence, to mark the importance of food safety, the World Food Safety Day is celebrated every year.

American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The first wealth is health.” Let’s take an in-depth review of the history and the importance of the ‘World Food Safety Day’.

World Food Safety Day

An article by the United Nations states, “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.”

History

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 7 as the World Food Safety Day. June 7, 2019, marks the first anniversary of World Food Safety Day and the theme for World Food Safety Day 2019 was ‘Food Safety, everyone’s business’.

Theme 2020

The theme, which remains the same as last year’s, is “Food safety, everyone’s business.” Under the theme “Food safety, everyone’s business”, the action-oriented campaign will promote global food safety awareness and call upon countries and decision-makers, the private sector, civil society, UN organizations, and the general public to take action.

Coronavirus and Food Safety

COVID-19, a disease caused by a novel coronavirus, became a major global human threat that has turned into a pandemic. Many theories circulate regarding the outbreak of the coronavirus. One of the theories that relate to Food Safety is that the coronavirus was spread due to the eating and selling of wild animals. However, this theory hasn’t been approved yet.

In this regard, Wuhan, the Chinese city, completely banned the consumption of wild animals and also made wildlife trade illegal. Another city of China, Shenzhen, banned the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat.

Poverty and Food Security

Food is a basic human right—but millions of people around the world are starving.  According to an estimate, everyday hunger kills 21,000 people. The world population is expected to reach 10 billion by the year 2056.  As populations grow and consumption rises, global demand for food will double.

Food security will help the poorest countries pull themselves out of poverty, and grow the food their populations need.  Agricultural or economic growth that benefits the poor will reduce food insecurity.    

What to do?

In order to achieve the sustainable goals of food security, countries must ensure safe and nutritious food for all. Agriculture and food producers need to adopt good practices. Business operators must make sure food is safe. All consumers have a right to safe, healthy, and nutritious food. The countries should team up in achieving this goal as Food Safety is a shared responsibility.