Each year, millions of people fall sick by eating unsafe food. Here, in the Asia-Pacific region, the situation can also be deadly. According to the latest figures, gathered just before the global pandemic, about 2,25,000 people die each year from foodborne illnesses in Asia and the Pacific. That’s more than half of the global fatalities. Sadly, nearly a third of those who perish, 30 per cent, are children.
The hazards of unsafe food are all around us every day. While food poisoning is often caused by eating food that has encountered traces of human or animal faeces from contaminated handling or surfaces, it can also be caused by improper storage. Many street markets routinely serve food that sits out on a hot day, sometimes for hours. Food that should be refrigerated is not. Chicken or eggs are not always fully cooked, which can make us sick. The list of things that can go wrong is long.
Unsafe food is a threat to both human health and the economies of our countries. It disproportionally affects vulnerable and marginalised people, especially women and children, as well as populations confronting natural disasters and conflict. Poor handling of food also damages global trade leading to further food wastage, which is unacceptable in a world where too many people still suffer from hunger.
However, these hazards can, in most cases, be overcome by proper food handling, including better hygiene practices for those preparing the food and proper refrigeration for edible items that need to be kept cold or frozen. Nevertheless, much more needs to be done.
Food safety is everyone’s business
Governments can strengthen their national food control systems, increase surveillance activities, and improve communication with food businesses and the public. These actions should be routine but are particularly important following a natural disaster, where food may be contaminated.
There is also a business case for improving food safety standards in Asia and the Pacific. This should begin at the source where food is produced, extend to those handling the food, and continue along the entire value chain until it reaches the retailer and consumer.
Food standards, especially those of internationally recognised Codex Alimentarius, ensure fair practices in food trade. Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are major producers and exporters of food, with many more aspiring to become key members of this group. Along food value chains, multiple players handle food, which changes hands many times and goes through several processing steps. An incident can happen at any point and render the food unsafe. That’s why we should always be prepared with an adequate response to ensure that contaminated food does not reach consumers.
All along the food value chain, the private sector can improve its food safety management plans and share information with each other, as well as improve their communication with consumers. Meanwhile, all of us, as consumers, should know how to report or respond to a food safety incident, including being mindful of how to prepare for the unexpected at home and react when a food safety incident occurs. We all need to do our part—everyone is a risk manager when it comes to evaluating food safety risks in our daily choices. That’s what this World Food Safety Day is all about.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been working together for many years to provide guidance to our members and others—including the private sector—on developing and implementing proper and effective standards to ensure food is safe to eat.
But food safety is everyone’s business. In 2019, the first World Food Safety Day was marked on 7 June. Adopted a year earlier by the United Nations General Assembly, the resolution proclaimed a World Food Safety Day would help us all to better understand the myriad benefits of safe food, and the dangers of food that is not. World Food Safety Day is an opportunity for everyone to take a moment to pay closer attention to something many of us take for granted – the safety of the food we eat. Unfortunately, in Asia and the Pacific (and other parts of the world), food safety is sometimes compromised. That’s why this year’s slogan is ‘Food safety: prepare for the unexpected.’
On this year’s World Food Safety Day, let’s all work together to reduce the hazards of unsafe foods. Let’s be aware and prepare for the unexpected.
The author is the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)