World Food Safety Day is an annual event that promotes awareness and inspires action to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne illnesses. The United Nations has declared June 7 International Food Safety Day to bring attention to the health impacts of contaminated foods and water. Safe food plays an important role in human health and well-being. Only safe food allows us to fully benefit from its nutritional value as well as its mental and social benefits. It is one of the most important guarantors of good health. World Food Safety Day should not be confused with World Food Day observed every year on the 16th of October.
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- This year marks the fourth edition of the event, which is becoming more relevant in the world.
- Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected is the theme of World Food Safety Day 2024.
- The primary objective of the program is to facilitate successful prevention, detection, and management of foodborne illnesses, as well as economic prosperity, agriculture, tourism, market access, and sustainable development.
Facts of World Food Safety Day
Below we have shared the most important facts on World Food Safety Day 2024.
| Event Name | World Food Safety Day |
| Day | June 7th (Every year) |
| Theme/Slogan | Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected |
| Organization | WHO & FAO |
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World Food Safety Day Theme 2024
The theme of this year’s World Food Safety Day is “Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected.” This year’s theme emphasizes the critical need to be prepared for food safety incidents, regardless of their severity.
Food safety incidents refer to situations where there is a potential or confirmed health risk related to food consumption. These incidents can occur due to accidents, inadequate controls, food fraud, or natural events. While managing food safety incidents demands concerted efforts from policymakers, food safety authorities, farmers, and food business operators, consumers also have an active role to play.
Every one of us has a responsibility, from farm to fork, to ensure the food we eat is safe and doesn’t harm us. In order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), two of the 17 main objectives are promoting consumer health and well-being and ending hunger.
”Food safety is everyone’s business” is the motto of this year’s Food Safety Day, which urges everyone to contribute to ensuring food safety at every stage of the supply chain, from farm to table.
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World Food Safety Day Activities
- Host a webinar: Invite key players in the food chain to a discussion about food safety and provide tips and information during a question-and-answer session.
- Organize a public event: Organize a public event such as a concert, fair, food tasting, or cooking demonstration that is geared towards food safety. Music concerts and demonstrations can also attract viewers virtually.
- Launch a campaign: Use our ready-to-use social media materials, or create your own videos, brochures, and world food safety day posters and tag them with #WorldFoodSafetyDay.
- Hold a sports activity: Promote food safety by running, walking or dancing. Fitness and exercise are great ways to get people involved in their communities.
- Reach out to the media: Spread the word about World Food Safety Day by using radio, newspapers, and magazines. Invite journalists to cover events and activities to encourage a larger audience to join.
- Organize a talk: Talk to food producers, processors, sellers or cooks about what they do and why food safety is important. If you want it to happen virtually, share it on a social media platform or through a meeting.
- Collect personal stories: Tell the story of a food worker, farmer, health professional, or someone who has suffered food poisoning. A story can be written, drawn, photographed, sung, acted or recorded to illustrate the importance of food safety.
- Make it fun: Make it a game or turn it into an art. There are many ways to learn about food safety or share your knowledge, whether it’s in person or online. Create a competition or a quiz. Write a song or write a play with friends.
- Recognize the success: Consider recognizing the achievements so far in food safety certification programs in your country (such as those for hospitality).
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World Food Safety Day History & Significance
World Food Safety Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to raise awareness of this critical food safety issue. Together with member states and other stakeholders, the WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched International Food Safety Day.
Importance of Food Safety
Now let’s talk a little bit about the importance of food safety. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is crucial to have access to safe food. Bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical compounds can enter the body through contaminated food, water or surfaces, causing foodborne illnesses that are usually infectious or toxic.
From production and harvesting to processing, storage, and distribution, all the way through preparation and consumption, food safety is crucial to ensuring that food remains safe throughout the food chain.
Unsafe food poses a threat to human health and the economy with an estimated 600 million cases per year, particularly affecting women, children, and people displaced by conflict.
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Each year, approximately 4,20,000 people worldwide die after eating contaminated food. Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the burden of foodborne diseases, with 1,25,000 deaths every year.
The International Food Safety Day on 7 June is intended to raise awareness and inspire action to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne health risks, and contribute to food security, human health, economic growth, agriculture, market access, and sustainable development.
In collaboration with the Member States and other relevant organizations, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly coordinate the observance of World Food Safety Day.
The day provides a chance to strengthen efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe, integrate food safety into the public agenda, and decrease foodborne disease burdens globally.
Reference – WFSD Guide
Food Safety Day 2024 FAQs
International food safety day is celebrated on the 7th of June, every year.
The day is meant to raise awareness of foodborne risks so that we can prevent, detect and manage them, helping to contribute to human health, economic prosperity, agricultural production, access to markets, tourism, and sustainable development.
“Food safety: prepare for the unexpected” is the theme of world food safety day 2024.
The five food safety rules are –
1. Keep clean
2. Separate raw and cooked
3. Cook thoroughly
4. Keep food at safe temperatures
5. Use safe water and raw materials.
The first Food Safety Day was celebrated on 7 June 2019 under the theme “Food Safety, Everyone’s Business”, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018.