“Food Safety Policies Are Globally Necessary” Says World Health Organisation

By Valentina IeriUNITED NATIONS, Apr 8 2015 (IPS)To mark World Health Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments around the world and all sectors involved in the food business to introduce food safety policies into their political agendas.Speaking at the United Nations headquarters in New York, WHO’s Executive Director, Jacob Kumaresan, said, “(Governments) should have comprehensive food safety policies which are matched with appropriate legislation. (This means) robust food safety strategies which include good storage, transportation, retail and good restaurant practices.”Kumaresan also called for a “multi-sectoral collaboration, as food passes through multiple hands, from farm to plates. This is a test for governmental ability to foster dialogue and coordination between the health sectors, along with agriculture, trade, environment and tourism sectors.”The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remarked, “Changes to the way food is produced, distributed and consumed, the emergence of resistant bacteria, and increases in travel and trade make it difficult to manage pathogens and contaminants once they are in our food supply.”This year, WHO’s slogan “from farm to plate: make food safe” has been chosen because of its impact on public health and upon the global economy, explained Kumaresan.Today access to direct food supply is widespread, said Kumaresan. “However, food also contains har...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Economy & Trade Education Environment Food & Agriculture Global Health IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Newsbrief TerraViva United Nations food production Food Safety World Health Organisation Source Type: news