Miller Magazine Issue: 117 September 2019

52 COVER STORY MILLER / SEPTEMBER 2019 over 200 million tonnes to reach 470 million tonnes. An important matter that should be addressed when dealing with food security is food safety. Its not an exaggeration to say there is no food security without food safety. Improving food safety is an es- sential element of improving food security, which ex- ists when populations have access to sufficient and healthy food. People’s access to and consumption of food, which is the main subject of food security, makes sense if the food is healthy. Enhanced food safety is key to improvements in health and nutrition, which is the ultimate goal of en- hanced food security. Improvements in food avail- ability will not benefit many of those at nutritional risk without corresponding improvements in the nutritional quality and safety of food as well as a reduction in food- and water-borne illness. At the same time, as food trade expands throughout the world, food safety has become a shared concern among both devel- oped and developing countries. With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies globally. Nearly one in ten people fall ill every year from eating contaminated food, with 420 000 dying as a result and low-income areas most affected. Children aged under 5 are at particularly high risk, accounting for one third of the deaths even though they make up only 9 percent of the population. Foodborne diseases in low- and mid- dle-income countries costs at least US$100 billion a year, with this cost exceeding US$500 million for 28 countries, according to a recent World Bank study. Ongoing changes in climate, global food production and supply systems affect consumers, industry and the planet itself: food safety systems need to keep pace with these changes. The burden of unsafe food disproportionally affects vulnerable and marginalized people and poses sustainability and development challenges. Despite the growing recognition of the fundamental role food safety plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the main objectives of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, efforts to strengthen food safety systems remain frag- mented and the gains, particularly in many develop- ing countries, have been well below expectations. THE DANGER OF UNSAFE FOOD Unsafe food is a major social and development challenge and public health cannot be improved if the food reaching the consumer is not safe. Food safety must therefore be high on the public health agenda, especially for developing countries, where food safe- ty can be one of the most significant challenges for access to export markets. The World Food Safety Day established by the United Nations in December last year and celebrated this 7th of June is an interna- tional observance which provides a unique opportu- nity to draw attention to this paramount aspect of our daily lives. To prevent, identify, manage and control foodborne risks is key to guaranteeing safe food for everybody, everywhere as well as to maintaining fair practices in the food trade. Unsafe food contains hazardous agents, or con- taminants, that can make people sick—either imme- diately or by increasing their risk of chronic disease. Such contaminants can enter food at many different points in the food production process, and can oc- cur naturally or as the result of poor or inadequate production practices. Hazardous agents that are re- ceiving attention from policymakers include microbial pathogens, zoonotic diseases, parasites, mycotox- ins, antibiotic drug residues, and pesticide residues. FOOD SAFETY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY What makes food safety unique and different from other areas of public health is its multisectoral nature. Food safety is fundamentally multidisciplinary. It cuts across different sectors such as health, agriculture, fisheries, industry, trade, environment, tourism, edu- cation, and economy. Food safety must be integrat- ed along the entire food chain, from farm to table, with the diffirent sectors: government, farmers, food companies and consumers and taking advantage of public-private partnerships. It also crosses across national borders. Food pro- duced in one country today can, within 24 hours, be on the other side of the planet and on its way to shops, restaurants and homes. Food safety is a shared responsibility. That’s why the theme of World Food Safety Day for this year was “Food safety is ev- eryone’s business”. The management of food safety requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach to be effective. Therefore, the world needs a mecha- nism for investing in food safety in a sustainable way, adapted to national and regional circumstances. Co- ordination between all relevant agencies within gov- ernment as well as with stakeholders from the entire food supply chain is essential. Recent trends in global food production, process-