Honourable Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps and other partners;
Colleagues from WHO and the United Nations family;
Members of the media;
Ladies and gentlemen:
Welcome to the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific.
This is the third time we have had the pleasure of the diplomatic corps and other partners present to celebrate World Health Day. I am happy to see you all again.
This year’s World Health Day focus is food safety: From farm to plate – make food safe.
In simple terms, food safety is the assurance that food will not cause harm to the health of consumers when prepared and eaten according to its intended use.
Why food safety – you may ask – when there are so many other challenges that demand our attention in the world.
The answer is simple: the death toll. Unsafe food – from its production, distribution, preparation and consumption – kills an estimated 2 million people a year globally.
Millions more suffer with illness and disease caused by unsafe food. Conditions range from acute diarrhoea to cancer and brain disorders, chronic malnutrition and impaired development.
Protecting consumers from food poisoning and foodborne disease is just one component of food safety and a key component of health security.
Everybody is at risk of foodborne diseases, but infants, children, pregnant women and older people are at particularly high risk.
New food safety threats emerge constantly. And the risk of unsafe food crossing borders is now greater than ever with the increase in international travel and trade.
WHO has prepared “Five keys to safer food”. We provide easy-to-follow guidance on production, handling and preparation of food for human consumption.
These simple steps will help most families avoid common mistakes that make food unsafe, such as using clean water during preparation or separating raw and cooked items.
We don't know exactly how many people suffer from foodborne diseases in the Western Pacific Region. Data from some countries, however, show that food poisoning and foodborne infections are a significant public health concern and economic challenge.
Both developing and developed countries face difficulties keeping food safe.
In Australia, there are 17.2 million episodes of gastroenteritis every year. New Zealand's Government estimates that major foodborne diseases cost the country approximately 123 million dollars in 2009.
In Cambodia, about 17 per cent of deaths in children under 5 years of age are caused by diarrhoeal diseases. In Viet Nam, the cost of foodborne diseases and related market losses exceed 1 billion US dollars a year. That is two per cent of the country's gross domestic product!
These statistics are troubling. They show the real human cost of unsafe food. They show the necessity of concerted action now to safeguard food safety in the Region.
Food safety is the responsibility of everyone along the food chain, from farm to plate. Producers, manufacturers and traders must take responsibility for the safety of food they handle. Consumers also should know about food safety risks so they may take preventive steps and follow sound food safety practices.
Governments must make food safety a priority and invest in national food safety systems.
Effective food safety systems consist of up-to-date food laws and regulations. Systems should have clearly defined roles and responsibilities between government agencies and risk-based food inspection and enforcement services. Modern food testing facilities and capabilities as well as information, education and communication capacity are also needed.
No single country can manage food quality and safety issues alone. Regional and international collaboration is essential.
The food chain extends over thousands of kilometres, crossing many national borders with a complicated series of steps from production to consumption. The errors of a food producer in one country can easily affect the health of consumers in another country.
To help facilitate rapid exchange of information during food safety incidents, WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations manage the International Food Safety Authorities Network, known as INFOSAN.
Countries’ engagement and active participation in INFOSAN is crucial for effective management and prevention of food safety incidents.
WHO encourages countries to invest in strengthening national food safety systems.
We ask countries to implement control and elimination strategies against foodborne diseases and improve regional collaboration to prevent, detect and respond to foodborne disease outbreaks.
Once again, I thank you all for attending.
And I hope you are able to join us for some “safe food” in the cafeteria after today’s formal programme.