National food safety emergency response plans and enhanced surveillance are essential for incident management.
Food safety is a precious commodity for people. This is directly related to its health and quality of life and is the result of continuous efforts on a global scale to eliminate risk factors related to its provision. foods.
THE World Food Safety Day is celebrated on June 7 every yearis an opportunity to raise public awareness of food safety issues and reminds us that food safety concerns us all, because every day food risks at the individual level and at the collective level (families, businesses, agencies, governments).
According to data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), Every year, one in ten people in the world gets sick from contaminated food and More than 200 diseases are caused by food intake Children under the age of 5 (9% of the population) are more susceptible to food-borne illnesses that are contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemicals.
Even if we all act responsibly according to our role in the food chain, there is always the possibility of an unexpected incident that could compromise food safety. Such an unexpected event can be as small as a local power outage, a flood, or food poisoning at a local restaurant. However, it can be an unexpected event of greater magnitude, such as a natural disaster. Even in these cases, there is always something we can do to avoid the disease.
See also: EFSA: 60% of consumers do not understand food labels – New information campaign
The In these cases, the “key” is preparation and is clearly emphasized in the message of this year’s campaign, “Food security: prepare for the unexpected.”
“Food safety: prepare for the unexpected”
Contingency preparation depends on many factors. Collaboration across sectors and at all levels (global, regional, national and local) is essential to ensure an effective response, especially when food safety incidents cross national borders. A coordinated approach between government agencies, national authorities and the food industry helps to minimize the impact on public health. Also, rapid and accurate information sharing and effective communication between all parties involved in the food safety chain, as well as consumers, help to determine the nature and origin of each incident, maintain confidence in the food safety system and save lives. .
By authorities and governments national food security emergency response plans, strengthening control systems and effective communication with businesses and the consumer community are essential to managing food safety incidents. A food business must have a management and response plan in place to take immediate action should such an incident occur.
Finally, it is long it is important for consumers to understand how they can report or react to the incident but also to understand the impact this may have on their daily lives. The more informed citizens are about food safety, the better they can respond to unexpected events.
See also: Highly processed foods: Health risks and what to look for on labels
EFET participates every day in order to ensure that all citizens have access to safe food by monitoring and informing businesses operating in the food sector and providing objective, reliable and direct information to the consumer public on matters within its jurisdiction.