World Food Safety Day, June 7: why the UN marks it and simple food safety habits at home
Every year on June 7, the world marks World Food Safety Day to draw attention to a problem that is easy to overlook: food that looks fine but carries bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals that make people ill.
What the video shows
This short VoxyTalksy video, about 100 seconds long, was first published on June 7, 2019, the day the world marked the first World Food Safety Day. It is a visual explainer without an interview: images of fresh food appear on screen with text about the day. Its description, later updated, explains that the second World Food Safety Day would be observed on June 7, 2020, to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, and links food safety with food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.
How the day began
- The UN General Assembly created the day through resolution 73/250, adopted on December 20, 2018.
- The first World Food Safety Day was observed on June 7, 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) jointly facilitate it.
- The theme in 2019 was "Food Safety, everyone's business", and the same message was carried into 2020.
- In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced its first State Food Safety Index around the 2019 observance, ranking states on how well they enforce food safety.
Why it matters
According to the UN and WHO, around 600 million people, almost one in ten worldwide, fall ill every year after eating contaminated food, and about 420,000 die. Children under five carry about 40 per cent of this burden, with around 125,000 deaths a year. Diarrhoeal diseases are the most common result.
Five food safety habits for home
- Keep clean: wash hands with soap before cooking and eating, and keep kitchen surfaces clean.
- Separate raw and cooked: keep raw meat, fish and eggs away from ready-to-eat food, and use a separate knife and board.
- Cook thoroughly: meat, eggs and seafood should be cooked well; reheated food should be steaming hot.
- Keep food at safe temperatures: do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than about two hours, especially in Indian summers.
- Use safe water and raw materials: wash fruit and vegetables in clean water and check expiry dates and FSSAI licence numbers on packaged food.
If you find unsafe food
In India, consumers can report adulteration or food safety complaints to FSSAI through its Food Safety Connect app or portal, or to the district food safety officer. Keeping the bill and a sample or photo of the product makes the complaint easier to follow up.
