Global momentum to prevent, detect and manage the risk of foodborne disease has gathered pace. At a series of high-level meetings held last year, WHO and partner UN agencies, Member States and other stakeholders together defined the future of food safety, highlighting the need to work across sectors and at all levels to step up and secure safe and healthy food for all. Every year nearly 600 million people fall sick and 420 000 people die globally because they consume food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals. The WHO South-East Asia Region is particularly affected, accounting for around 150 million illnesses and 175 000 deaths, costing Member States an estimated US$ 95 billion in lost productivity alone. By enhancing food safety, we not only increase overall health and health security, but also contribute to food security and economic prosperity among other Sustainable Development Goal targets.
The Region has in recent years played a key role in accelerating global momentum to tackle food safety. Since 2015 almost all Member States have assessed existing foodborne disease surveillance and response capacity and identified priority actions. Each Member State has strengthened its national Codex structure, which is the most important framework a country can leverage to promote food safety and protect consumers, especially in the context of international trade. With WHO support, in 2018 Member States carried out a multi-country simulation exercise to test foodborne disease outbreak coordination and communication. The Region’s newly adopted Framework for Action on Food Safety will be crucial to harmonizing food safety standards and building on the many achievements that Member States made under the Region’s Food Safety Strategy 2014–2018.
We mark this year’s World Food Safety Day as WHO and its Member States in the Region continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergence and spread of COVID-19 demonstrates how rapidly a health security threat can materialize and travel across the world – in this case, an infectious disease. But foodborne diseases are an increasingly acute risk, especially given the transnational and global processes on which food production and consumption rely. To help mitigate such risks, and enhance access to safe, hygienic and healthy food for all, WHO will continue to support Member States to take a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to the issue, fully committed to the “One Health” principles that facilitate action between the health, animal and agriculture sectors. To sustain and accelerate the Region’s progress, together we must address three priority areas.
First, strengthening food safety-related governance and regulations. By ensuring food safety legislation and standards are regularly reviewed and updated, national authorities can better identify and address gaps and emerging risks, while also aligning national legislation and standards with international requirements. Though most Member States have now harmonized national standards with Codex standards, several gaps persist, particularly with regard to the delineation of private sector responsibilities and the quality of information that is being collected and used for risk assessments. More effective, integrated action is needed across sectors and between authorities for countries to avoid duplication, increase synergy and ensure all responsibilities are well defined and carried out.
Second, scaling up foodborne disease surveillance and emergency preparedness. As per the Region’s Food Safety Strategy 2014-2018, Member States have made significant progress on both fronts, with each Member State establishing event-based surveillance and a handful establishing indicator-based surveillance. As countries accelerate their efforts, they have great potential to strengthen the provision of reliable epidemiological analysis, especially to identify the source of outbreaks. To do that, access to laboratory resources should be scaled up, and the investigative capacity of key focal points enhanced. The carrying out of joint external evaluations is a valuable way for all countries to strengthen overall emergency preparedness, in line with the Region’s Flagship Priority on scaling up emergency risk management.
Finally, improving cross-sectoral communication with a focus on emergency response. Since 2004 the WHO-supported International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) has provided Member States a platform to alert one another of risks and to coordinate action. To their credit, all Member States are participating in the platform, with some even applying it at the sub-national level. Still, greater coordination between national INFOSAN and International Health Regulations focal points would strengthen the mechanism, for which regional simulation exercises – similar to that undertaken in 2018 – will be an important capacity building measure.
On World Food Safety Day, WHO reiterates its commitment to supporting Member States in the Region to promote and capitalize on momentum to prevent, detect and manage the risk of foodborne disease. The Region has in recent years made strong progress on food safety, leveraging the many benefits it brings, from greater food security to more stable livelihoods. Together we must accelerate that progress by fully implementing the Region’s recently adopted Framework for Action and continuing to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capacities. Access to safe, hygienic and healthy food is every person’s right. Together, all stakeholders must make it a reality.