7th June: World Food Safety Day

• 07 Jun 2022

World Food Safety Day is an annual celebration to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks.

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the theme of World Food Safety Day 2022 as ‘Safer food, better health’.

Need for Food Safety

• Food safety is a major determinant of health. It affects the survival, well-being, livelihood and productivity of individuals and eventually societies. Throughout the world, food borne diseases represent a considerable public health burden and challenge.
• Overuse of antimicrobials in veterinary and human medicine has led to antimicrobial resistance, which has now become one of the main threats to modern medicine.
• Going beyond the conventional definition of food safety, unsafe food also means food that can harm through unhealthy fats, high energy density and high salt content, contributing to increased risk of non-communicable diseases. Street food, which is commonly consumed in all parts of the country, often poses a health hazard as it is contaminated with infectious viruses and bacteria, leading to various food borne diseases.