HYDERABAD: New data on the harm caused by food borne illnesses underscore the global threats posed by unsafe foods, and the need for coordinated, cross-border action across the entire food supply chain. World Health Day will be celebrated on April 7, with WHO highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with food safety under the slogan “From farm to plate, make food safe.”
Safe food underpins but is distinct from food security. “Food safety is an area of public health action to protect consumers from the risks of food poisoning and foodborne diseases, acute or chronic. Unsafe food can lead to a range of health problems: diarrhoeal disease, viral disease (the first Ebola cases were linked to contaminated bush meat); reproductive and developmental problems, cancers. Food safety is thus a prerequisite for food security,” says Dr M A Saleem, Sr. consultant general surgery, Care Hospitals.
New threats to food safety are constantly emerging. Changes in food production, distribution and consumption, changes to the environment, new bacteria and toxins, antimicrobial resistance-all increase the risk that food becomes contaminated. Increases in travel and trade enhance the likelihood of contamination.
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