Healthy foods for everyone and everywhere
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged global action to ensure that everyone has access to safe food now for a healthy tomorrow at the opening of an online gathering on 7 June 2021 to celebrate the World Food Safety Day 2021.
“Food safety is essential to achieve more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems which provide healthy foods for everyone and everywhere,” said the FAO Director-General, encouraging collaboration to transform agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.
Joining the global action to commemorate the 2021 World Food Safety Day (WFSD), Indonesia Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) has celebrated the WFSD 2021 to support the Food Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) towards "Indonesia Spice Up the World", an initiated program of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment. The program aims to encourage Indonesian cuisine, including seasoning and spice products, to enter the foreign markets.
According to BPOM, currently, 154 registered-business actors produce spices, consisting of 24% of large-scale businesses (food industry) and 76% of MSMEs in Indonesia. In line with the theme of World Food Safety Day "Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow", BPOM emphasizes the importance of safe food production by MSMEs to ensure safe food consumption in the community," explained the Chairperson of BPOM.
BPOM also appreciates village governments and business actors in the traditional market who have implemented food safety in their communities. The award certificates were handed over to the winners of the 2020 Competition of 'Community-based food safety' at the village level, namely Panggungharjo Village in Bantul Yogyakarta, Bukit Intan Makmur Village in Rokan Hulu Riau, and Batu Ampar Village in Kepahiang Bengkulu. Aside to that, BPOM as well announced the winners of the Competition of 'Community-based food safety' at the traditional market, including Sumpang Minanggae Market in Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi, Gentan Market in Sleman Yogyakarta, and Farmers Market in Bandar Lampung.
Governments, businesses, and communities share the responsibility of ensuring food safety in the food chain, including fresh and processed foods. "Let's take the momentum of World Food Safety Day to inspire and strengthen our commitment to safeguarding and realizing food safety, as well as improving the quality of Indonesian food products so that they can compete abroad. Because food safety, everyone's business," said the Chairperson of BPOM.
Food safety is everyone’s business
The action-oriented campaign promotes global food safety awareness and calls on countries and decision-makers, the private sector, civil society, UN organizations, and the general public to take action under the theme "Food safety, everyone's business."
The safety of our food is influenced by how it is produced, kept, handled, and consumed. Following global food standards, building strong regulatory food control systems, including emergency planning and response, providing clean water, and employing appropriate agricultural practices are all important goals. Collaboration among stakeholders are needed to ensure food safety through improving the adoption of food safety management systems by food business operators and boosting consumer capacity to make healthy food choices.
Governments, producers, and consumers all have responsibilities for food safety. From farm to table, everyone has a part to play in ensuring that the food we eat is safe and will not harm our health. FAO and WHO, at the country office, continue the efforts to mainstream food safety in the public agenda and minimize the worldwide burden of foodborne diseases through World Food Safety Day and several important food safety programs, including the National Food Control Systems Assessment and Risk based categorization training/ capacity building for the stakeholders in Indonesia.