The 2023 World Food Safety Month celebration has been launched in Accra. The launch was organised by the Veterinary Service Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and its partners.
This international day is used to intensify efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe.
On June 7, 2023, the World Food Safety Day (WFSD) will be observed.
To sustain life and advance good health, access to safe food is essential. Food-borne illnesses are typically contagious, harmful, and frequently undetectable. Through contaminated food or water, bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemicals enter the body and cause these diseases.
Unsafe food poses a hazard to human health and the economy with an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne diseases each year, disproportionately affecting marginalized and vulnerable groups, including women and children, populations affected by conflict, and migrants.
According to estimates, 420 000 people worldwide pass away each year after consuming tainted food, with 125 000 of those deaths occurring in children under the age of five, who account for 40% of the burden of foodborne illness.
According to the World Health Organization, by the year 2050, ten million people worldwide could perish from consuming contaminated food if antibiotic resistance is not adequately handled. The festival this year aims to increase participation and rally people behind the distribution of safe food by raising awareness and sensitizing the public.
The Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ghana, Dr. Kingsley Mickey Aryee called on key players to put stricter measures in place to achieve quality and safety; over just quantity, if indeed, we are what we eat.
Since the media is a key player in the public’s education on public health in June, he requested their assistance in raising awareness of food safety among the general public. Food safety is a concern for everyone, so everyone has to be informed.
