World Food Safety Day – Friday, June 7, 2024
Celebrated annually on June 7th, World Food Safety Day undertakes a mission initiated by the United Nations General Assembly. It was created in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
What is World Food Safety Day?
The purpose behind this initiative is to shine a spotlight on the pressing need to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks. This contributes directly to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, and sustainable development. Recognizing World Food Safety Day elevates these goals to a global stage, rallying individuals and organizations around the importance of keeping food safe from farm to plate.
More than an annual event, World Food Safety Day is a continuous pledge to improve food safety standards worldwide. Each year, the dedicated focus of this day serves as a reminder of the role everyone plays in ensuring the food we consume is not only nutritious but also safe. For World Food Safety Day 2024, entities across the globe move to educate, motivate, and advocate for stronger food safety measures.
Why Awareness of Food Safety is Important
The need for food safety awareness has never been more important. Worldwide, millions fall ill each year due to contaminated food, highlighting a severe but preventable issue. Research shows that one in ten people become sick from eating contaminated food, leading to over 400,000 deaths annually1.
Food contamination can occur at any point in the supply chain, from production to consumption, making it a pervasive threat to public health. Ignoring food safety protocols not only jeopardizes individual health but also strains healthcare systems and undermines food security, nutrition, and economic prosperity.
World Food Safety Day reminds us that it’s a collective responsibility to ensure the food on our tables is safe to eat. This day points out the significant fact that food safety is not a luxury but a basic human right, with the potential to save lives and maintain the integrity of the food supply chain.
Ways to Observe World Safety Day
Observing World Food Safety Day gives us the opportunity to focus on enhancing our food safety habits. If you’re wondering about what practical steps you can take to contribute to World Food Safety Day 2024, the suggestions below will give you some useful ways to participate.
One straightforward but impactful action anyone can adopt involves being vigilant about checking the expiration dates on food items. While this may seem insignificant, it actually has a huge impact on personal health and safety. Additionally, spreading awareness about what World Food Safety Day stands for is essential, as it opens dialogues around the subject and increases knowledge about foodborne hazards.
Other great ways to contribute to this cause include:
- Raising standards on cleanliness: Thoroughly inspect your kitchen and pantry on a regular basis and dispose of anything that has expired or is no longer fresh.
- Becoming an advocate: Use your voice on social platforms to educate others about the importance of food safety measures. Sharing posts, stories, and vital statistics about food contamination issues will bring awareness about this issue to more people.
- Organizing or participating in workshops: Organize or attend workshops focusing on safe food handling and storage practices, whether online or within your community or workplace.
All of these activities support the core message of World Food Safety Day, aiming for a healthier future through immediate, informed actions we take today. Engaging in these practices not only boosts your well-being, but contributes significantly to global food safety efforts.
World Safety Day and Food Safety Monitoring: The Connection
In the ongoing battle for safer food consumption, modern technology - specifically sensors and analytics - plays a crucial role in safeguarding our meals. These innovative tools offer unprecedented capabilities to detect harmful contaminants that have historically compromised our food supply and signs of food spoilage. By integrating these technologies, food producers and suppliers can preemptively address potential safety issues before they reach the consumer.
On World Food Safety Day 2024, leveraging modern food monitoring technology is an important step for businesses in the food industry to take in order to help prevent foodborne illnesses. Sensors, for instance, have been instrumental in monitoring temperature changes, a key factor in maintaining the freshness and safety of perishable goods. Analytics, on the other hand, provide deep insights into the historical data of food production and distribution chains, enabling decision-makers to identify and rectify systemic issues that could lead to contamination.
World Food Safety Day urges organizations to explore and embrace these technological advancements. From deploying sensors in storage and transportation processes to employing analytics for better inventory management and quality control, there are many opportunities to improve monitoring processes along every step in the cold chain.
It is believed that, as these technologies evolve, they’ll become even more integral to our food safety strategies. And this special day serves as a reminder of the transformative potential that awaits thanks to the intersection of science, technology, and conscientious food handling practices.
Evigence Cold Chain Technology
Cold chain technology such as sensors and analytics helps businesses and their transportation partners access and monitor real-time data. In turn, this data enables them to quickly detect product temperature problems and minimize damage by troubleshooting, rerouting shipments to refrigerated warehouses, or dispatching crews to repair malfunctioning equipment. Essentially, incorporating the latest technology into your business helps diminish the risk of perishables spoiling in transit, thereby reducing food waste, and also increasing operational efficiencies, which leads to a reduction in costs.
Evigence offers specialized services for cold chain freshness management and last-mile. These services combine our time-temperature indicators (cutting-edge sensors) with data analytics to monitor food's freshness in real time from production through consumption.
When you work with Evigence, you’ll benefit from our advanced data analytics and have access to various metrics to help you make strategic business decisions. Contact us for more details about using our services.
Author:
Courtney Cook, Marketing Director
courtneyc@evigence.com
References:
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety#:~:text=Food%20safety%2C%20nutrition%20and%20food,healthy%20life%20years%20(DALYs).
