Today, for the second time, World Food Safety Day, adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2018, is celebrated.

Every minute 44 people – more than 23 million inhabitants a year – get sick as a result of eating contaminated food, which is estimated to cause up to 4700 deaths annually. This information is provided by WHO in a review of the latest available data in the European Region and represents only the tip of the iceberg, since the actual number of cases remains unknown.

“People don’t bother to think about food, at least until something happens,” says Dr. Dorit Nitzan, acting Director of the Health Emergencies Division at WHO / Europe.

“Various factors that are part of a sophisticated food safety mechanism — from hand washing, proper cooking and storage of food to surveillance and international regulatory mechanisms — affect people’s lives, their economies, and the well-being of their communities,” adds Dr. Nitzan. World Day food safety is an opportunity to loudly declare that significant changes can only be achieved through joint action!