The World Food Safety Day in Georgia
No matter what we do or where we are, we play an important role in making sure – food is safe and healthy to eat.
On 7 June Georgia joined the world to celebrate the World Food Safety Day (WFSD), which was founded five years ago jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) at the United Nations General Assembly.
The theme of the World Food Safety Day 2023 was „Food Standards Save Lives“. With this message, the National Food Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia and the Georgian Technical University joined forces to mark the World Food Safety Day together with their partners and donor organizations.
The celebration aimed to raise awareness about importance of the food safety standards, as well as the ways to avoid food borne diseases. The fifth World Food Safety Day drew attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agricultural production, market access, tourism and sustainable development.
Two major events were held in Tbilisi to make sure that we had a possibility to reach various audiences of every age starting from children to grownups including future professionals of the Food Safety Field.
The organizers and guests of the event that took place in Rike Park (Tbilisi, Georgia) marked the day with thematic, informative and entertaining activities and the agrarian market. The Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Chair of Committee on Agrarian Issues at Parliament of Georgia, Head of the National Food Agency, FAO and WHO Representatives in Georgia addressed the public.
„The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and the National Food Agency traditionally join the World Food Safety Day. The government has a complex approach to food safety and it includes the involvement of all parts of the chain such as the producers, consumers, and state agencies. This year the main message is "food standards save lives". To protect health and interests of consumers, food safety standards and systematic approach are key in our policy. Marking such days aim to increase awareness among people”, said the Deputy Minister of the Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Kakha Kakabadze.
„Improvement and constant development of the food safety standards are one of the top priorities for our organization. Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Life as the main components of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 play an important role in achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where implementation of the well-developed Food Safety system is a crucial component in reaching Agenda 2030,“ said Raimund Jehle, the FAO Representative in Georgia.
Another event that took place on the World Food Safety Day was a public lecture „Food Safety is Everyone’s Business“, held at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Biosystems Engineering of the Georgian Technical University (Tbilisi, Georgia).
For the students and invited guests, the lecture covered the zoonotic and food-related infections and the importance of traceability of animal products and the "from farm to table" principle in improving food safety. The lecture was presented by the Scientific Director at the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia, Prof. Paata Imnadze, and by Mr. Mikheil Sokhadze, the project team leader at FAO Georgia.
According to FAO, one in ten people worldwide falls ill from contaminated food each year. It affects all countries. Over 200 diseases are caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances such as heavy metals. Children under five make up 9 percent of the population, but carry 40 percent of the foodborne disease burden. According to WHO, 1 600 000 people get sick due to unsafe food in one day, on average.
“Unsafe food can cause communicable to non-communicable diseases. It creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick. In addition to contributing to food and nutrition security, a safe food supply and healthy food also supports national economies, trade and tourism, stimulating sustainable development,” said Silviu Domente, WHO representative and the Head of the Country Office in Georgia.
Food safety standards protect the lives of all, and the livelihoods of many. They establish the criteria which food should meet to protect consumers and establish confidence in the product.
