Safe food should be a priority: WHO

NEW DELHI: Ahead of World Health Day, the Health Ministry and WHO today came together to seek stronger measures for promoting food safety saying awareness on the issue will help strengthen enforcement of food standards and prevent foodborne illnesses.

Speaking at the national consultation on food safety, Union Health Secretary Bhanu Pratap Sharma highlighted the need for inter sectoral convergence and enforcement at all levels.

"There is a need for greater awareness and giving correct information to all stakeholders and that's where the role of WHO is extremely important," he said.

In her World Health Day message, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of WHO, South-East Asia Region said, "Political awareness and consumer education on food safety will help to strengthen enforcement of food standards, improve hygienic practices, and prevent foodborne illnesses. The most pertinent of all the measures is creating awareness among people to ensure that their food is safe."

Speaking on the occasion, Nata Menabde,WHO Representative to India said, "Food safety is an issue of growing public health concern. To achieve food safety, strong functional links must be built between public health and other sectors to ensure effective cross-sectoral collaboration."

"In India, food safety has obvious and direct linkages with the Swachh Bharat initiative of the Prime Minister that promotes cleanliness and hygiene, which are the key factors influencing food safety, thereby reducing socio-economic impact of foodborne illnesses," she said.

The consultation strongly advocated that governments must partner with civil society, NGOs, private sector and consumers, to ensure that safe food becomes everybody's business.

Perspectives on 'Serving Safe Food' were presented by Akshayapatra and National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), emphasising the importance of safe food.

The theme for World Health Day, which falls on April 7, is safe food this year.