11 May 2022

At least 600 million people across the globe fall ill from consuming contaminated food each year resulting in 420 000 deaths.

 This is according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report.

Speaking at the plenary session meeting prior to  the World Food Safety Day scheduled for Maun,  next month, a health specialist in the Ministry of Health, Ms Rosinah Pitinyane-Modise said it was important to recognise that unsafe food health conditions ranged from diarrhea to cancers, including mental health.

She said food borne diseases could be prevented hence efforts by WHO to enhance the capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats associated with unsafe food at the global and country level.While other countries started commemorating the day in 2019, she said in Botswana the commemorations were affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and that a small celebration was held last year.“This year we want to give the day the recognition it deserves by fostering a multi-sectoral collaboration because we believe that food safety is a shared responsibility between government, producers and consumers,” she said.

Ms Pitinyane-Modise also said the theme: Safer Food, Better Health called on everyone to play a role from the farm to the plate. It also highlighted the role  that safe and nutritious food played in ensuring human health and well-being, she said.

She added that food safety was key to sustaining life and promoting good health as well as achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms Pitinyane-Modise also noted that Maun was one of the preferred tourism destination areas and it  was critical to provide safe food to tourists and international travellers. The commemoration, she said, aimed to improve public health and to reduce the burden of health care by coming up with programmes that promoted safe eating to prevent diseases

Principal health officer, Ms Esther Rugara appraised the meeting on key food safety measures. She said if it was not safe to eat, it was not food.

She also said food safety had a direct impact on health, adding that 30 per cent of food borne diseases occurred among children under the age of five.

Ms Rugara also stated that everyone was a risk manager as they had a business to evaluate food safety risks before consumption.

The Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti is expected to officiate at the commemorations and representatives from WHO and other senior government officials are expected at the celebrations.BOPA