Food safety saves lives

With some 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses every year, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies around the world. Ensuring food safety is a public health priority and an essential step to achieving food security.

As an international food safety and quality standard-setting body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) works to make sure food is safe. In 2023, as Codex turns 60, we celebrate food standards for defining the path to safe food for everyone, everywhere.

World Food Safety Day 2023 is an opportunity to brush up your knowledge on the topic with a selection of FAO publications.

Safe food for everyone – FAO's work on food safety: science, standards and good practices
This publication addresses the work of FAO and its partners in ensuring food is safe for all. Our intention is to develop, deploy and communicate the latest science; support good governance; facilitate food safety emergency prevention and response; and keep a close watch on both future opportunities and the risks that may accompany them. A device-friendly format is also available.

A guide to World Food Safety Day 2023
This fifth World Food Safety Day draws 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.

Food safety leaflets
A series of leaflets featuring concise food safety tips is available in all six official UN languages. The short documents detail the actions people in different settings can take to ensure food is produced, stored, served or eaten safely, as well as outline the benefits and importance of food safety.

FAO strategic priorities for food safety within the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031
These Strategic Priorities are articulated around four interconnected Strategic Outcomes focused on governance, scientific advice, strengthening national food control systems and fostering public–private partnerships along the food chain. They result from an iterative consultative process led by FAO with its Members and international partner organizations, including, notably WHO.

Thinking about the future of food safety: A foresight report
This publication provides an overview of major global drivers and trends and their implications for food safety and agrifood systems, including climate change, changing consumer behaviour and preferences, new food sources and production systems, technological advances, microbiome, circular economy and food fraud. A device-friendly format is also available.

For more titles about food safety and Codex standards, click here.

Additional reading

• General principles of food hygiene
• Guidelines for ready-to-use therapeutic foods
• Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in cocoa beans
• Guidelines for design, production, issuance and use of generic official certificates
• Food safety aspects of cell-based food
• Gene editing and food safety – Technical considerations and potential relevance to the work of Codex Alimentarius
• Foodborne antimicrobial resistance – Compendium of Codex standards
• Food safety considerations to achieve best health outcomes under limited food availability situations – Case study
• Technical guidance for the implementation of e-notification systems for food control
• Report of the expert meeting on food safety for seaweed – Current status and future perspectives
• Microbiological risk assessment – Guidance for food
• Looking at edible insects from a food safety perspective – Challenges and opportunities for the sector