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UN experts in Zoom virtual event on 7 June 2021 Safe food contributes not only to healthy people, but to healthy environments and economies. The benefits of safe food include improved nutrition, increased school attendance and better earning potential.
This is reflected in the slogan of the day: ‘Food safety is everyone’s business’
On Monday, 7 June, WHO and FAO will hold a virtual celebration including video messages from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. The event will include an interactive session in which the Chief Scientists of WHO and FAO discuss the ways science is helping to innovate and keep our food safe along the food supply chain. Soumya Swaminathan (WHO) and Ismahane Elouafi (FAO) will delve into this year’s theme for World Food Safety Day, which is ‘Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow’. The conversation will focus on how food safety is vital for people, plants, planet, economies – and our future. An online discussion with Chief Scientists Ismahane Elouafi and Soumya Swaminathan to highlight the important role science plays in keeping food safe, now and in the future. The scientists will talk about the significance of this year’s World Food Safety Day theme: “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow.” The event will open with video messages from FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and include some food safety success stories from around the world. You can watch the on-line event here We all have a role to play in keeping food safe. Whether you produce, process, sell, prepare or share food with friends or family, you can take concrete actions to keep food safe. Safe food contributes to a healthy life, a healthy planet and a healthy future. Does that include the Food and Chemicals Industry? Well, that is not an easy question to answer, because of the very high levels of chemicals (some carcinogenic) added to virtually all foods found on sale in supermarkets, especially processed foods. One reason for nutritionists to advise a limit on the amount of processed foods we eat, is because of this and the fact that industrial methods of producing meat, whilst endemic in the USA; is currently increasing in the western world. Most recent concerns have been reported on this website, concerning carcinogens in food wrappings that leach into the food. These, 'forever chemicals' such as PFAS chemicals are retained in the human body, with estimates that every person in the USA has high levels of cancer causing PFAS in their bodies. See the full news item here: Cancer Causing Chemicals Contained In Fast Food Wrappings Contaminating The Food Another chemical of concern is Aspartame - present in over 2000 food and drink products, including baby food, sugar-free and diet versions of foods sweets and drinks.This human made food additive used as sweetener and sugar substitute can cause serious behavioural problems in children and can be addictive and the cause of why so many people fail to diet effectively as it is known to increase appetites, even in diet versions of food and drink. Whilst many of these chemical products used in food and confectionary have exposure levels set internationally, too often these levels are set too high and indeed many substances should not be even allowed in food and confectionary, and are intrinsically unsafe for human consumption. See the Union safety E-Library for documentation regarding food and drink safety, the chemicals present in foods and cancers, of which any of these chemicals are a cause. Search by categories, 'Food Safety', 'Cancer', and 'Chemicals'. Source: World Health Organisation / Chemwatch / EFSA
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On 7 June 2021, the United Nations will mark the third global World Food Safety Day, led by two of its specialized agencies, WHO and FAO, together with the Codex Alimentarius Secretariat.
WHO and FAO are supporting Member States in efforts to provide enough safe food for all and to enable the population’s trust in the safety of the food to protect their health. Events such as World Food Safety Day help by bringing focus to the food safety community and the critical role they play.