Date - May 28, 2004
FAO: All health and food writers/editors
At the
Regional Asia Pacific WHO and FAO Food Safety Conference held in Seremeban,
Malaysia 24-27th May, there was general consensus that communications
on food safety are a critical element in prevention of food-borne illness.
Food-borne illness is believed to affect at least 1 in 3 of the world’s
population every year, and is almost certainly higher in many of the developing
countries in the Asia Pacific region. WHO reports that in the year 2000, at
least 2.1 million deaths were due to diarrhoeal diseases and most of these were
children. The number of reported cases is rising, but incomplete data collection
means that it is not possible to determine how much of this rise is due to
improved reporting and recording of food-borne illness, and how much is due to
reductions in food safety levels.
During
one conference session which examined how communications on food safety can be
most effectively disseminated and co-ordinated, Session chair, Dr Shafia, of the
Malaysian Ministry of Health commented that the press are often the fastest
route through which information on the latest food safety crisis is relayed. It
would seem consumers are of the same opinion – numerous surveys of consumer
knowledge and interest in food safety matters also find that the general public
look to mass media as their primary source of information on food safety and
other food and health subjects.
The
Asian Food Information Centre (AFIC), however reported to the conference, that
most news reports on food safety matters only report the most sensational
details, such as breaking news on large scale outbreaks of food-borne illness,
rejection of food products bound for export, and prosecution of those not
complying with food safety standards and regulations. AFIC’s research finds less
than 10% of news reports in Asia in 2003 on food safety topics include
science-based information on prevention, such as advice on the importance of
hand washing, avoiding cross-contamination between cooked and raw foods, correct
temperature control, appropriate response on recognition of food products do not
meet acceptable standards.
Yet
it is
well understood by food safety experts, that consumers can play a very positive
role in efforts to reduce cases of food-borne illness, not only by observing
good hygiene practices in their own food handling, but also by expressing their
demand for improved food safety measures. Strong consumer demand for effective
food safety measures, support and reinforce efforts by national and
international agencies, the food industry, health professionals to improve food
safety standards and practices.
In response to
this situation, AFIC reported to the conference, that they had combined forces
with a number of partner institutions in the Asia region, including the Industry
Council for Development, SEAMEO TropMed Nutrition Institute based in Jakarta,
and the Asia Pacific office of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Bangkok,
to develop a series of information resources on Best Practices in Food Safety
from Farm to Table in Food Safety.
The series of
booklets aims to improve general public knowledge on
what measures they can take
to safeguard their own health,
and what are the most important threats to food safety.
The booklets also provide
information on consumer rights, for example, what to do if you suspect a food is
the cause of a tummy upset, what sell-by dates mean, and what to do if sold
foodstuffs that are past their sell-by date.
The
World Health Organisation estimate 1.8-3.1 billion cases of FBI will occur in
2004, but almost all of these are preventable: The most common cause of
food-borne illness is cross-contamination of food and drinks by bacteria,
viruses and fungi. A small amount of knowledge on sources of contamination and
how to avoid them, along with scrupulous hygiene standards and monitoring
systems in food manufacturing and preparation could massively reduce the numbers
of those falling ill.
The
resource might also provide some comfort to those consumers who feel overwhelmed
by all the ‘bad’ news stories on the latest food safety crisis. The booklets
describe some of the many systems that are in place or are becoming common in
food manufacturing, distribution, retailing and catering to improve the safety
and wholesomeness of food. Sophisticated methods of monitoring and surveillance
of our food supply such as computer aided tracking and trace-back systems, and
HACCP (Hazard and Critical Control Point Analysis) are just two of the many
technological innovations that are becoming commonplace.
The
booklets also spotlight, on the very important role governments in safeguarding
the quality and wholesomeness of the food supply. Few consumers, are aware that
all food additives used in foods must be approved by the regulatory authorities
of the country in which the food is sold. Similarly, all agricultural chemicals
used on crops go through a very long and intensive safety evaluation by the
authorities of the country in which the crop is grown, and that there are
further controls on the amount of any residual chemical that may be present on
the food at point of purchase.
The
message conveyed by the booklet is clear: There is a great deal of effort being
invested in improving the safety and quality of the food supply, but there is
still much to be done, and consumers are an essential part of that effort. To
find out more about what is going on behind the scenes and what consumers can do
to drive these efforts forwards, The Best Practice on Food Safety booklets are
available free at the AFIC website www.afic.org.
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The Asian Food Information
Centre is a Singapore-registered not-for profit society
whose mission is to
provide science-based information on nutrition,
health and food safety to
consumers in Asia.
For more information
contact Georgina Cairns at +662 318 1578 or
gcairns@afic.org
