Today, 7 June, we celebrate the fifth World Food Safety Day with the theme “Food standards save lives”.

The day is being promoted across social media channels using the hashtag #WorldFoodSafetyDay, and all over the world, individuals, NGOs, private companies, local and national governments and international organizations are hosting events and activities to take up the call to raise awareness on how to prevent, detect and manage foodborne illness.

Four official FAO-hosted events will take place today at FAO in Rome, and FAO and WHO regional and country offices are also promoting the Day across the world.

This year’s theme coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and encourages food safety advocates to consider the role of food standards in ensuring food is safe along the entire food supply chain.

The programme for the FAO-hosted events is as follows:

Assessing food safety and plant health in 11 countries in Africa: a panel discussion (hosted by FAO, the International Plant Protection Convention Secretariat, the European Union)
11.00-12.00 Rome time (CEST)

World Food Safety Day high-level event (hosted by FAO and the World Health Organization)
12.15-13.30 Rome time (CEST)

First peek inside a new food safety toolbox (hosted by FAO)
15.00-16.00 Rome time (CEST)

Ask us anything about food safety (hosted by FAO and the World Food Programme)
16.30-17.30 Rome time (CEST)

Interpretation will be available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish

Download the programme for the FAO-hosted events
Watch the FAO-hosted events
Read more on World Food Safety Day events