WHO Celebrates World Food Safety Day 2021
World Food Safety Day will be celebrated on June 7, 2021, and its goal is to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism, and sustainable development.
The 2021 theme, "Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow," stresses that production and consumption of safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet, and the economy. Recognizing the systemic connections between the health of people, animals, plants, the environment, and the economy will help meet the needs of the future.
World Food Safety Day was started in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly, which proclaimed that it would be celebrated every June 7. The purpose was to recognize the global burden of foodborne diseases, which affect individuals of all ages—in particular, children under 5 years old and people living in low-income countries. In 2020, the World Health Assembly (WHO) further adopted a decision on strengthening efforts on food safety to reduce the burden of foodborne disease. WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with Member States and other relevant organizations.
Food safety is a shared responsibility between governments, producers and consumers. Everyone has a role to play from farm to table to ensure the food we consume is safe and healthy. Through the World Food Safety Day, WHO works to mainstream food safety in the public agenda and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally. Food safety is everyone's business.
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