Food Safety

• E.G. Mycotoxins, Marine biotoxins, toxins occuring in poisinous mushrooms
• Staple foods like corn or cereals can contain high levels of mycotoxins such as aflatoxin + ochratoxin - produced by mould on grain 
• Long term exposure can affect:
  • immune system
  • normal development 
  • cause cancer 

• Compounds that accumulate in body + environment
• Known examples are Dioxins + Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) - Unwanted by-products of industrial processes + waste incineration
• Found worldwide in environment + accumulate in animal food chains
• Dioxins are highly toxic + can:
  • cause reproductive + developmental problems
  • damage to immune system
  • interfere with hormones 
  • cause cancer 

• Lead, Cadmium + mercury cause neurological + kidney damage
• Contamination by heavy metal in food occurs mainly through pollution of air, water + soil 

• Safe food supplies support national economies, trade + tourism, contribute to food + nutrition, security + underpin sustainable development
• Urbanization + changes in consumer habits including travel have increased no. of people buying + eating food prepared in public places 
• Globalization has triggered growing consumer demand for wider variety of foods, resulting in an increasingly complex + longer global food chain 
• As population grows, intensification + industrailisation of agriculture + animal production to meet increasing demand for food creates opportunities + challenges for food safety 
• Climate Change predicted to impact food safety, where temp changes modify food safety risks assoc. with food production, storage + distribution
• Challenges put greater responsibility on food producers + handlers to ensure food safety - local incidents can quickly evolve into international emergencies due to speed + range of product distribution 

Policy Makers can:

• build + maintain adequate food systems + infastructures to respond to + manage food safety risks along entire food chain including during emergencies 
• foster multi-sectoral collaborations among public health, animal health, agriculture + other sectors for better communication + joint action
• intergrate food safety into broader food policies + programmes 
• think globally + act locally to ensure food produced domestically will be safe internationally 

• WHO aims to faciliate global prevention, detection + response to public health threats assoc. with unsafe food 
• Ensuring consumer trust in their authorities + confidence in safe food supply, is an outcome WHO works to achieve 

• WHO helps Member States build capacity to prevent, detect + manage foodborne risks by:
  • providing independent scientific assessments on microbiological + chemical hazards that form basis for international food standards, guidelines + recommendations known as Codex Alimentarius to ensure food is safe whereever it originates 
  • assessing safety of new technologies used in food production e.g. GM + Nanotechnology 
  • helping improve national food systems + legal frameworks + implement adequate infastructure to manage food safety risks - INTERNATIONAL FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITIES NETWORK (IFSAN) was developed by WHO  + UN FOOD AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) to rapidly share info during food safety emergencies 
  • promoting safe food handling through systemic disease prevention + awareness programmes, through WHO 5 Keys to safer food message + training materials
  • advocating for food safety as an important component of health security + for integrating food safety into national policies + programmes in line with INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS (IHR- 2005)