In order to raise awareness of food safety among all sectors of society, 7 June has been designated World Food Safety Day by the United Nations- since 2019. This year’s theme “Food Standards Save Lives” emphasises that food safety standards are the cornerstone of trust, and food safety and quality can be guaranteed through food safety standards.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about one-tenth of the world’s population suffers from foodborne diseases every year due to eating unsafe food which contains harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, chemicals, etc. As a result, foodborne diseases may cause gastrointestinal discomfort such as vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhoea, and even irreversible damage in severe cases.
Foodborne diseases affect people of different age groups all over the world, and safeguarding food safety is a matter of concern for people’s health and lives. However, the process of production and supply of food nowadays is complex and involves different aspects. If there is a slight oversight, a food safety incident may occur. In addition, given the background of the globalisation of food trade and supply, it is likely to have a negative impact on global public health, trade and the economy when a food safety incident occurs.
In order to ensure safe food production, food safety regulatory authorities around the world are focusing on building a series of scientific, open and transparent food safety standard systems based on science that are suitable for the places where the systems are implemented. The standards are based on risk assessment and formulated through scientific experiments. It is a set of practices provided for the food sector to follow and to ensure that the food produced complies with food safety standards. These standards regulate the limits and scope of use of food additives in food production, the safety limits of residues and contaminants in food, the substances prohibited in food, etc. Therefore, the food sector is required to carry out food production and operation in accordance with relevant standards.
As consumers, by understanding food safety standards, we can adopt an objective, scientific and prudent attitude to think, rationally learn about all kinds of food safety information and ensure food safety in our daily lives.
On the occasion of this year’s World Food Safety Day, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) organised a series of activities to promote a proper understanding of food safety standards among the public and the sector, encouraging them to follow the standards, relevant laws and regulations for production and operation, and to implement them in daily purchase of food products, which fully realising the spirit of tripartite cooperation between the government, the food sector and the public to protect food safety in Macao.
Food Safety Highlights
IAM organises a series of activities for World Food Safety Day to facilitate government-community cooperation in safeguarding food safety
Promotional Materials
World Food Safety Day Webpage
Guide to World Food Safety Day 2023 (Simplified Chinese version only)
