June 7th is World Food Safety Day

Did you know that on average:

• Foodborne diseases affect 1 in 10 people worldwide each year¹
• More than 600 million people fall ill from eating contaminated food and 420,000 die every year from eating contaminated food¹
• 200 diseases ranging from diarrhea to cancer are caused by ingesting unsafe food²

Unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies and access to sufficient amounts of safe food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Food safety also plays a critical role in assuring that food stays safe at every stage of the food chain - from production to harvest, processing, storage, distribution, all the way to preparation and consumption. To raise awareness of the importance of food safety, World Food Safety Day was established in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly. “Food standards save lives”, is the theme for this year’s campaign which aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect, and manage food-borne risks.

Everyone can take an active role in preventing food-borne illness, and World Food Safety Day offers an opportunity to get informed and involved.

1. Practice safe food handling at home and on the worksite by following the World Health Organisation's Five Keys to Safer Food:
   keep clean, separate raw and cooked, cook thoroughly, keep food at safe temperatures, and use safe water and raw materials.
2. Keep informed and promote food safety. Learn about food safety and join the #WorldFoodSafetyDay campaign.

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Sources:
1 - https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-food-safety-day/2023/overview 
2 - https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-food-safety-day/2023