By the bioMérieux Connection Editors
Globally, food is one of the biggest transmitters of disease, with approximately 600 million cases of foodborne illness occurring annually. In the United States, 3,000 people die of foodborne illnesses every year, and the number affected in developing countries is much higher.
Finding and understanding the sources of foodborne illness is a critical part of improving food safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be able to attribute outbreaks of foodborne illness, but individual illnesses are rarely trackable. That heightens the need for public food safety knowledge and awareness.
The purpose of World Food Safety Day is to recognize the importance of food safety in our lives and celebrate prosperity derived from safe food. The observance is a powerful platform to inspire actions and promote awareness of the need for safer food.
“World Food Safety Day will be a chance for everyone to take a moment to think about something we often take for granted: food safety,” said Codex Secretary, Tom Heilandt. “Thanks to the widespread efforts of Codex Members and Observers, the international community will speak with one voice on June 7 to promote awareness and inspire actions for safer food,” he said.
bioMérieux is proud to celebrate World Food Safety Day. As our primary mission is to protect public health worldwide, we realize the critical role a safe food supply plays in ensuring the health of our global communities.
June 7, 2019 is the first annual World Food Safety Day. The observance was officially proposed in 2016 at the 39th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which unanimously agreed to promote the proposal and assist in establishing an annual day to promote food safety around the world.
World Food Safety day will recur annually on June 7.
Opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of bioMérieux, Inc.
