Food safety for better nutrition |09 June 2023
We’ve all grown accustomed to doing certain practices like washing our hands regularly that it has become almost automatic. If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything it is the importance of having clean hands to prevent the spread of infection.
There are so many viruses, bacteria and other microbes all around us including in our food that good food safety principles like washing our hands is important to prevent food contamination, but that is just one of many.
Every time we buy food, be it raw or cooked, if we don’t handle the food properly the risk of spoilage and also the risk for the food to make us sick is there. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year an estimated 600 million people (almost 1 in 10) fall ill after eating contaminated food, resulting in 420,000 deaths globally.This is a good enough reason for us to make people more aware of the importance of keeping their food safe.
It’s been five years now since the world started celebrating World Food Safety Day annually on June 7, as a way of raising awareness on the importance of keeping our food safe from farm to fork. This year a series of activities have been organised locally to commemorate this important occasion. The theme for this year’s World Food Safety Day is ‘Food standards saves lives’.
What are food standards?
To put it in simple terms, food standards are a set of criteria that guides farmers and processors on how to handle foods in a hygienic manner so that it is suitable for human consumption. They provide specification about safe production and composition such as the amount of additives and other chemicals that are permitted in foods, how the food should be packaged, labelled and transported and also allows consumers to know what is in the food that they are consuming. Globally and locally food standards are adopted and developed based on sound scientific evidence. One of the main reasons why we don’t typically worry about food safety is because we trust that our food is safe. Our food however can only be safe if certain food practices or standards are followed to avoid harmful microbes or chemicals from contaminating it. The complexity of the food system including the trading of food means that emerging issues like climate change, growing world population, growing consumer demands for wider food variety and globalisation all have an impact on the safety our food.
Food safety for food and nutrition security
Food safety, nutrition and food security are interconnected. Contaminated foods cause diseases and at times undernutrition especially in vulnerable groups like young children, older adults and those already living with a chronic disease.
Having a safe food supply means that the population has access to safe and nutritious foods therefore it ensures food and nutrition security. This means that you are able to reap the benefits of the nutrients and other bioactive components in the food which you would not have been able to, had that food been contaminated. Food and nutrition security is important to meet the nutritional needs of growing children and to keep adults healthy.
In addition, it also facilitates trade, supports the tourism industry, the local producers and the consumers to ensure that the local economy is sustained.
Foodborne illnesses
Foodborne illnesses are usually infectious or toxic in nature and caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances entering the body through contaminated food. Chemical contamination can lead to acute poisoning or long-term diseases, such as cancer. Many foodborne diseases may lead to long-lasting disability and death.
Some common bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses include salmonella, listeria and E. Coli. Some common symptoms include fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and nausea. Depending on the bacteria however other more severe symptoms may be present, at times even life threatening.
Antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, are essential to treat infections caused by bacteria, including those found in food. However, their overuse and misuse in veterinary and human medicine has been linked to the occurrence and spread of resistant bacteria, rendering the treatment of infectious diseases ineffective in both animals and humans.
Although there are not many viruses that can cause foodborne illnesses, Norovirus and Hepatitis A are two common viruses known to cause infection which can spread through contaminated food.
Chemicals in the form of natural toxins or environmental pollutants pose the greatest and long standing adverse health outcomes. Long-term exposure to mycotoxins such as aflatoxins produced by moulds on grains can interfere with normal immune system functions and may increase the risk of some forms of cancer.
Organic pollutants such as Dioxins can affect reproductive and immune systems and cause certain cancer. Contamination by heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury mainly via water and soil can damage the nervous system, brain and kidneys.
Many times people are unaware that they have had a foodborne illness and there is a lot of underreporting. It may seem therefore that foodborne illnesses are not really a cause of concern here. It is important therefore for you to start paying closer attention to your food especially if you are used to buying foods from caterers and food vendors.
The ‘five keys to safer food’
WHO developed the ‘five keys to safer food’ as a way of educating consumers and food handlers on the importance of safe food handling behaviour to prevent foodborne illnesses and to help keep food safe.
There is no food and nutrition security without food safety. Food safety is everyone’s business so play your role to ensure that what you are consuming is safe!
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Yours in health
The E4OH team