Says cross-sectoral collaboration needed to achieve food safety
A regional consultation, organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in collaboration with the Department of Community Medicine, M S Ramaiah Medical College made a strong call for promoting food safety, the theme of this year’s World Health Day.
The consultation brought together stakeholders, from farm to plate, to discuss integ- ration of ‘food safety’ into the broader food policy agenda and informing producers and consumers about the vital importance of safe food, and its impact on public health.
Speaking of the World Health Day, Dr Nata Menabde, WHORepresentative to India, said, “Food safety is an issue of growing public health concern. To achieve food safety, strong functional links must be built between the public health and other sectors to ensure effective cross-sectoral collaboration.”
“In India, food safety has obvious and direct linkages with the Swachh Bharat initiative of the Prime Minister that promotes cleanliness and hygiene, which are the key factors influencing food safety, thereby reducing the socio-economic impact of foodborne illnesses,” she added.
In her World Health Day message, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, World Health Organization, South-East Asia Region, said: “Political awareness and consumer education on food safety will help to strengthen enforcement of food standards, improve hygienic practices, and prevent foodborne illnesses. The most pertinent of all the measures is creating awareness among people to ensure that their food is safe.”
In his address, P S Vastrad, Commissioner, department of health and family welfare, Government of Karnataka, highlighted the importance of preventive measures to ensure good health and he elaborated on, “how fertiliser, use of preservatives to aid transportation of food grains over long distance and chemical treatment make farm produce contaminated and adulterated. He also reiterated the importance of inculcating healthy eating habits.”
Addressing the issues related to food safety and food control systems, the consultation saw active deliberations on the need for multi-sectoral collaboration from food production to consumption and cooperation from all sectors for compliance of food.
Acknowledging the need to further improve the food safety systems, the forum extensively deliberated on the issues of production, regulations, nutrition, unhealthy food, consumer awareness, animal-human interface of foodborne diseases and strengthening surveillance of these diseases in India.
The consultation strongly advocated that the governments must partner civil society, NGOs, private sector and consumers, to ensure that safe food becomes everybody’s business.
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