Unsafe food claims over 400 000 lives every year

Every year 420 000 people die, while 600 million fall ill around the world as a result of consuming unsafe food, according to the UN’s World Health Organization.

Unsafe food claims over 400 000 lives every year
If government created a database of food safety incidences in SA, it could raise awareness about food safety and biosecurity among farmers.
Photo: FW Archive
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Every year 420 000 people die, while 600 million fall ill around the world as a result of consuming unsafe food, according to the UN’s World Health Organization.

However, if the necessary awareness about the dangers of unsafe food could be raised, these deaths could be prevented.

To help raise this awareness, the UN adopted a resolution in 2018 to declare 7 June every year as World Food Safety Day.

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According to Prof Elna Buys, head of the Department of Consumer and Food Science at the University of Pretoria, raising awareness about food safety was critical.

“Not only does it have a huge impact on an economy, but it also necessary to inform consumers that they have a right to safe food, whether they bought it from a supermarket, a small retailer, a market, or a food truck.”

She said South Africa’s food industry and national and provincial government structures were all well aware of the need to ensure the safety of food and there were certain regulations and systems in place.

“However, there is no overarching system in place to link all these different levels [of governance]. That is why it took so long before the source of the recent listeriosis outbreak was detected. This delay had a serious impact on the number of people who became ill. There was no system in place that enabled the different levels [of governance] to communicate with each other and thereby solve the problem quickly.”

This was one of the most crucial issues to be addressed with regard to food safety in South Africa, she said and suggested that developing a database of food safety incidences at government level would help to provide timely information to farmers, consumers, and small traders.

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Jeandré Du Preez is the newest addition to the Farmer’s Weekly team. Originating from a Riversdal farming family, she has farming in her blood. After school she furthered her studies at Stellenbosch and has been working as an agricultural journalist for the past two years. She says she feels privileged to write about an industry paramount to the survival of all South Africans and is inspired by the innovative solutions with which the farming community bridges the many challenges they face. She enjoys being able to combine work with travel and appreciates the modesty and friendliness with which South Africa’s farmers share their accomplishments. She enjoys being able to combine work with travel and appreciates the modesty and friendliness with which South Africa’s farmers share their accomplishments. If she is not writing or visiting farms, you’ll find her relaxing with a good mystery novel or exploring her other passions: travelling and cooking.