World Food Safety Day: ‘Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow’.

World Food Safety Day (WFSD) celebrated on 7 June 2021 aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.

This year’s theme, ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’, stresses that production and consumption of safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy. Recognizing the systemic connections between the health of people, animals, plants, the environment and the economy will help us meet the needs of the future.

As in previous years, five calls to action have been identified for this year’s World Food Safety Day to recognise how different actors involved in food safety can play their part.

Ensure it’s safe

Governments must ensure safe and nutritious food for all

BSNA members collaborate with government to ensure safe and nutritious foods are available for people with special dietary needs. BSNA members and international partners such as International Specialist Dietary Foods Industries (ISDI) support national governments in regulating food safety along the entire food chain and ensuring compliance with international standards, such as Codex, or even going beyond the minimum requirements set at international level.

Grow it safe - Agriculture and food producers need to adopt good practices

The specialised nutrition industry continues its efforts to significantly reduce its impact on the environment by using sustainably managed and renewable resources, more efficient operations and waste management, and environmentally-friendly packaging.

Keep it safe - Business operators must make sure food is safe

BSNA and our international colleagues at ISDI are committed to enforcing the strictest safety standards and manufacturers take pride in producing foods based on the latest scientific information, accredited food production and manufacturing operations and other global food management systems.

All ingredients in foods for special dietary use are designed to be incorporated into safe and highly nutritious solutions that support the healthy growth and development of infants and young children, as well as to ensure the well-being of patients consuming highly specialised foods for special medical purposes.ISDI is committed to facilitating collaborations through its global platform that can enable an inspired food safety mindset, the sharing of best practices, and harmonised food safety solutions across the globe.

Eat it safe - All consumers have a right to safe, healthy and nutritious food

Access to clear and reliable information about the ingredients and nutritional quality of foods is imperative for consumers to be able to make healthy and sustainable food choices. This is especially true for people with special dietary needs, who need to be confident in their food choices. This is also why foods for special dietary use adhere to strict labelling standards.

Team up for safety - Food safety is a shared responsibility

There are many groups who share responsibility for food safety – governments, regional economic bodies, UN organisations, development agencies, trade organisations, consumer and producer groups, academic and research institutions and private sector entities. We must work together on issues that affect us all, globally, regionally and locally. Collaboration is needed at many levels – across sectors within a government and across borders.