Access to safe, secured, and nutritious food is a human right. Through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO), the World Safety Day is yearly celebrated every seventh day of June to raise awareness and inspiration in the global community as we take action to prevent foodborne diseases, and strengthening food security for human health and sustainable development.
Food is one of the basic needs of human beings, and keeping our food safe must be a priority so this year’s theme, the World Safety Day targets “Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow”. Recognizing the importance of food safety in the present interconnects with the goals of sustainable development in terms of people’s well-being, economic prosperity, resource consumption, production, and environmental health. Safe food promotes good health to humans creating a positive impact on a country's socio-economic state. Markets have shared roles in food safety for food production and manufacturing. The government has an important responsibility for accessibility of safe and secured food for the people. Civil societies are also active in advocating and educating communities about food safety and security. In order words, every individual has to take action.
However, the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic halted several campaigns and socio-economic concerns bloomed, such as employment decrease and people from the marginalized sectors struggling to provide food for their families. It’s alarming because food insecurity is tied with food safety. Even before the lockdown started, over 59 million Filipinos were experiencing food insecurity. People who cannot afford clean, nutritious and safe food from the market brought by poverty are led to feed on leftovers, locally also known as ‘pagpag’. Now, a survey revealed that there’s a huge increase in the number of Filipino people eating these unsafe foods, exposing themselves to foodborne diseases and illnesses also due to lack of clean access to water and sanitation. It is proven by medical experts that unsafe food contains harmful viruses, bacteria, chemical substances for processed foods or by means of body contact through water intake, causing diseases like diarrhea which may lead to death for severe cases. Food safety is also significant in the market from production to consumption because of products’ probable contamination. Many food-borne diseases are also caused by improperly prepared foods in food service establishments, markets, and farms.
To address the risks on food safety as well as its linked issues concerning human health, economy, and environment, the Philippines implemented the Food Safety Act of 2013. This law mandates government agencies to promote and ensure food safety from “farm to fork”, protect consumer health, and settle issues in the national food control and trade. Alongside this is the implementation of food safety guidelines such as the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Codex Organization to strengthen Philippine food safety regulatory system. The government has been working with WHO and UN to improve and strengthen the implementation of these policies and guidelines in ensuring our food safety.
Thus, it needs more than just a single governing body for everyone to access safe and secured food. Leaders of the country, both national and local, must have a strong political will to address the concern on food. Like what is said, food is a basic necessity, therefore, it is a priority. Eating safe, and nutritious food would create a chain reaction on the development of the society from individual, family, to the larger community as it also resolves issues on hunger and poverty.
Everyone can contribute in achieving food safety. As citizens, you can part-take in the advocacies of the government and the civil-society in promoting and educating the public the importance of keeping our food safe and secured and the possible consequences when not achieved. As consumers, you can make sure that food prepared in your respective homes is properly washed like fruits and vegetables, meats are cooked properly, and purchased goods have authorized labels.
The key in sustainable, safe, and secured access to food is working together by people being aware about safe and healthy food, businesses processing safe foods, the agricultural sector adopting effective and good practices to grow food, and the government ensuring that all, regardless of socio-economic status will have safe and nutritious food for a healthy tomorrow.
7 June 2021
References:
Nelz, J. (2021, March 19). Numbers of Filipino People Eating Leftover Foods Increased Amid Pandemic (philnews.ph) https://philnews.ph/2021/03/19/numbers-filipino-people-eating-leftover-foods-increased-amid-pandemic/
Rustia, A.S. (2020). Defining Risk in Food Safety in the Philippines. Retrieved from: http://www.foodandnutritionjournal.org/volume9number1/defining-risk-in-food-safety-in-the-philippines/efining
United Nations (n.d). World Food Safety Day. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/en/observances/food-safety-day
Weiler, G.A., and Fernandez, J.L. (2019). Food safety is everybody’s responsibility. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/philippines/news/commentaries/detail/food-safety-is-everybody-s-responsibility
World Health Organization (2021). World Food Safety Day 2021. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/events/detail/2021/06/07/western-pacific-events/world-food-safety-day-2021
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