Food safety and quality
| share
 > Events
 
Title
Food safety: a right or a privilege?
Full description

Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is a basic human right and success in achieving nutrition and health outcomes is reliant on food being safe. An FAO/WHO Side Event during the Second International Conference on Nutrition will bring together a multi-disciplinary panel to deliberate on why food safety is an essential element of food and nutrition security: Red Room (A-121 Int), 19 November 2014. 1300pm – 14:30pm

Conceptually, food security is built upon four pillars including food availability, access, utilization and stability. Within this framework, food safety, food security and nutrition are inextricably linked, yet the importance of food safety is often overlooked.

In cases of food insecurity the focus is often on availability and access to food, with little consideration of safety. Even in more food-secure countries, limited resources are often diverted to ensure the safety of exported food products at the expense of food sold domestically.

Where food is unsafe, individuals who are already vulnerable and food insecure are exposed to chemical, biological and other hazards which can pose serious acute and chronic health risks. Approximately 2 million people per year die from diarrhoeal diseases from contaminated food and water, most of them children. In addition, many children in developing countries are chronically exposed through their diets to aflatoxins, which are not only carcinogenic but there is mounting evidence that they may contribute to stunting. These and other food safety issues contribute to worsening health and nutritional well-being.

Furthermore, beyond the direct effects on health, unsafe food can cause significant social and economic costs resulting from loss of income, loss of employment and reduced market access – with subsequent negative impacts on food and nutrition security.

While food safety challenges today are considerable, we also need to take into account the changing global context – increasing demand for food, evolving food and agriculture systems, global movement and trade of food, as well as new technologies for food production. Assuring food safety in this changing context, will require the highest level of commitment to strengthening national food control systems, and the application of preventative practices in the food chain. 

During the FAO/WHO Side Event, the panellists will address health-nutrition-food safety nexus, economic perspectives, policy considerations and actions and solutions on how food safety could be fully integrated into the food and nutrition security agenda.

The Side Event will be recorded, for those unable to attend.

Webcast link to this event

Event agenda-flyer

Further information

Linking Food Safety and Food Security video (November 2014)

Date From
19/11/2014
Date To
19/11/2014