World Health Day Highlights Challenges of Food Safety Worldwide

On the occasion of World Health Day, the United Nations highlighted the pressing issue of food safety, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts from various sectors to ensure the safety of food from production to the food supply chain. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe food can cause over 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhea to cancers, and poses significant economic risks to farmers and the food industry. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, noted that the emergence of resistant bacteria, changes in food production and distribution, and increased global trade and travel make it challenging to manage pathogens and contaminants in the food supply.

Key Takeaways:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that unsafe food can cause over 200 diseases, including diarrhea to cancers.
• Food safety is a largely under-reported and often overlooked global problem, with the emergence of resistant bacteria, changes in food production and distribution, and increased global trade and travel making it challenging to manage pathogens and contaminants.
• The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, emphasized the need for integrated food safety policies, matched by legislation, to ensure comprehensive food safety strategies.
• Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, highlighted the risks associated with industrialized food production and globalized trade, making local food safety problems rapidly become international emergencies.
• Jacob Kumaresan, executive director of the WHO Office in New York, called for a sustainable response to the core problems of food safety, requiring multi-sector collaboration among health, agriculture, trade, environment, and tourism sectors.
• The WHO is urging governments to integrate food safety into broader food policy, fostering a multi-sector collaboration to ensure safe food production and delivery.

Statistics:

• Over 200 diseases can be caused by unsafe food, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Food safety is a significant economic risk to farmers and the food industry.
• Resistant bacteria, changes in food production and distribution, and increased global trade and travel make it challenging to manage pathogens and contaminants in the food supply.
• 1948 is the year the World Health Organization (WHO) was founded, marking the anniversary of World Health Day.

Sources:

• "World Health Day: Food Safety a Global Challenge - UN." Xinhua, 07 Apr 2015, via COMTEX.
• "World Health Organization." Xinhua, 07 Apr 2015.
• "Copyright 2015 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY."
• "World Health Organization." Xinhua, 07 Apr 2015.