Food is the starting point of our energy, our health and our wellbeing and food safety has a critical role in assuring that food stays safe at every stage of the food chain. Widespread collaboration and contributions of all actors in the food supply chain, as well as good governance and regulations are essential to food safety. Through the longstanding partnership, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) support global food safety and protect consumer health.

In December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a World Food Safety Day on every 7 June starting from 2019. With this regard, FAO and WHO in Myanmar jointly celebrated the first ever World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2019 in Nay Pyi Taw – with the theme for 2019 “Food Safety, everyone’s business.” Senior Government officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI), the Ministry of Health and Sports (MoHS) and the respective stakeholders joined the celebration and reflected on the importance of food safety in different sectors.

Food Safety is the key to achieving several of Sustainable Development Goals and World Food Safety Day brings it into the spotlight – to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development. This international World Food Safety Day is an opportunity to strengthen efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe. Whether you produce, process, sell or prepare food, then you have a role in keeping it safe. World Food Safety Day reinforces the call for strengthening commitment to scale up food safety and to highlight that everyone involved in the food chain has a part to play.