WORLD FOOD SAFTEY DAY, 7TH JUNE 2022: “SAFER FOOD BETTER HEALTH”

Nugata Consults joins the rest of the world in celebrating the 2022 food safety day with the theme “safer food better health”. Unsafe food causes illness and economic burdens in terms of hospital bills and lack of productivity due to ill health amongst other problems. The question is “Do we realize that we all have a role to play in keeping food safe for better health?” Food safety is everybody’s business so whether we operate in the food supply chain or are consumers, which we all are, we have a role to play! Food environments; individual factors; consumer behaviours; diets etc. affect food safety and health. Ensuring safer foods involves improving hygienic practices which if poor, could render food unsafe whether in the market place or at home. Also important are contaminants in food, unacceptable levels of food additives or presence of veterinary drug and pesticide residues which must be prevented. “Safer food better health” requires strengthening food systems i.e.  all the processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption, distribution and disposal of food and food-related items.  Food systems drivers; supply chains; food environments; political, programme, & institutional actions; nutritional & health outcomes; social, economic, and environmental impacts are all part of food systems. More attention should be paid to the open /informal markets which usually are not properly regulated in developing countries and from where majority of the population get their food supplies. There is a generally poor food environment and ignorance of most sellers and buyers about food safety, sanitation and hygienic practices. Strong consumer awareness that would give rise to demand for safer food by such consumers could drive the required behavioral change required in the open markets and reduce the poor nutrition and health outcomes. Let’s all do our bit this food safety day and onwards to achieve “safer food better health” globally.