Let’s improve food safety - WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on countries and all actors in the food industry to improve food safety from farm to plate and at the various stages of production, as the world marked World Health Day on April 7.

Celebrated on the theme: “From farm to plate: Make food safe”, the WHO said the production of safe food was important for economies as it fostered trade and tourism and supported food security and sustainable development. 

In a statement to mark the day, the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, said food safety was also important for schools where basic food safety practices could be learnt.

Contaminated food

The statement said food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals was responsible for more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers, saying that potential threats to food safety were emerging all the time. 

It said changes to the way food was produced, distributed and consumed, the emergence of resistant bacteria, and increases in travel and trade, made it difficult to manage pathogens and contaminants once they were in food supply.

It said unsafe food was largely an under-reported and often a global problem that was overlooked, and therefore called on all people involved in the production, distribution, and preparation of food to play their part to make food safe. 

Nestle’s contribution

The Head of Technical for Nestlé in the Central and West Africa Region, Mr Jean-Luc De Vuyst, said “Food safety is vital at Nestlé”.

According to him “As the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company, we aim to ensure that our food and beverages are as safe as possible for our consumers at all stages of our supply chain.

“People may not realise the rigorous controls and checks that products go through before they are safe to buy and consume. But whether we produce simple or sophisticated products, our challenge is still the same when it comes to food safety,” he added.