Food safety is everyone’s responsibility and everyone’s business

Joint statement from Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa and Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region

7 June 2020, Cairo – On the occasion of World Food Safety Day 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued a Joint Statement highlighting the crucial role of safe food in promoting health and ending hunger.

"Without universal access to safe food, the 2030 Agenda will be impossible to achieve. Everyone has the right to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. Safe food is critical to promote health and end hunger, two of the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

"If it is not safe, it is not food. Food security is achieved when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life. There are four dimensions of food security – availability, access, utilization and stability – and food safety is a critical part of utilization. But today, around 55 million people in the Arab States are food insecure.

"Ultimately, safe food is critical not only for better health and food security, but also for livelihoods, economic development, trade and the international reputation of every country in the Region. Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade.

"FAO and WHO are joining forces in the Region to assist countries to prevent, manage and respond to risks along the food supply chain, working with food producers and vendors, regulatory authorities and civil society stakeholders, whether food is domestically produced or imported.

"FAO assists Member Countries to prevent, manage and respond to risks along the food production chain while WHO facilitates global prevention and detection of, and response to, public health threats associated with unsafe food. Both organizations work to help ensure that consumers can trust their authorities and have confidence in the supply of safe food.

"Food safety is a responsibility shared between governments, producers and consumers. Everybody has a role to play, from farm to table, to ensure the food we consume is safe and will not damage our health. We call on governments, international development partners, donors and the private sector to make a sustained difference in food safety. This can be done through the following actions:

1. Ensure it is safe. Governments must ensure safe and nutritious food for all.
2. Grow it safe. Agriculture and food producers need to adopt good practices.
3. Keep it safe. Business operators must make sure food is safely transported, stored and prepared.
4. Check it is safe. Consumers need access to timely, clear and reliable information about the nutritional and disease risks associated with their food choices.
5. Team up for safety. Governments, regional economic bodies, UN organizations, development agencies, trade organizations, consumer and producer groups, academic and research institutions and private sector entities must all work together on food safety issues.

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World Food Safety Day (WFSD) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018 and is marked on 7 June each year. The second WFSD aims to raise awareness and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, thereby contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.