Food safety first!

June 7 marks the first-ever celebration of the World Food Safety Day with the aim to uplift the food safety awareness to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and inspire action to safer food. World Food Safety is a joint venture among the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

This year’s theme, “Food Safety, Everyone’s Business”, invites us to recognize that food safety is a shared responsibility - production, storage, handling, and even consumption affects the safety of our food. Complying to global food standards, establishing effective regulatory food control systems, providing access to clean water, applying good agricultural practices (terrestrial, aquatic, livestock, horticulture), and implementing an effective food safety management systems are some ways in which the government, international organizations, scientists, the private sector, and civil society work to ensure food safety.