Food safety saves lives. It is not only a crucial component to food security, but it also plays a vital role in reducing foodborne disease. Every year, 600 million people fall sick as a result of around 200 different types of foodborne illness.
The burden of such illness falls most heavily on the poor and on the young. In addition, foodborne illness is responsible for 420 000 preventable deaths every year.
World Food Safety Day is an important way of:
making people aware of food safety issues
demonstrating how to prevent illness through food safety
discussing collaborative approaches to improved food safety across sectors
promoting solutions and ways of being more food safe
