On June 7, World Food Safety Day, which aims to raise awareness and inspire action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, calls on all groups to act including countries and communities, decision-makers, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations and the general public.

Food safety is a shared responsibility of governments, producers and consumers. Access to sufficient amounts of safe food is essential for health; to achieve this goal everyone has a role to play in ensuring that the food we eat is safe and will not harm our health. Foodborne illnesses are generally infectious or toxic in nature. Often invisible to the naked eye, they could be caused by viruses, parasites or chemicals that enter the body through contaminated food or water.

According to UN estimates, with 600 million cases of foodborne illness per year, unsafe food poses a threat to human health and economies and disproportionately affects vulnerable and marginalized people, including women, children, conflict-affected populations and migrants. Almost 420,000 people worldwide die each year after ingesting contaminated food, and children under 5 bear 40 percent of the burden of foodborne illness, which includes 125,000 deaths per year, according to the UN.

On June 7, World Food Safety Day aims to raise awareness and inspire action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks. This Day is an opportunity to redouble our efforts to ensure the safety of our food, to integrate food safety into the public agenda, and to reduce the burden of foodborne illness, in the world.

www.un.org