FDA celebrates World Food Safety Day: ‘Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow’

World Food Safety Day is celebrated on June 7 and aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.  

This year’s theme, “Safe Food Today for a Healthy Tomorrow,” stresses that the production and consumption of safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy. Recognizing the systemic connections between the health of people, animals, plants, the environment and the economy will help us meet the needs of the future, according to a statement from the agency on June 7.

The FDA is marking this event and providing resources to help consumers avoid foodborne illness. The FDA’s World Food Safety Day page provides information on how to reduce risk and how to participate in this global event.

Recognizing the global burden of foodborne diseases, which affect individuals of all ages, in particular children younger than 5 and people living in low-income countries, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed in 2018 that every June 7 would be World Food Safety Day.

In 2020, the World Health Assembly further passed a resolution to strengthen global efforts for food safety to reduce the burden of foodborne disease. WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with member states and other relevant organizations.

The FDA says that, “Food safety is a shared responsibility between governments, producers and consumers. Everyone has a role to play from farm to table to ensure the food we consume is safe and healthy. Through World Food Safety Day, WHO works to mainstream food safety in the public agenda and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally. Food safety is everyone’s business.”

 The FDA promotes and protects public health by helping to ensure that the nation’s food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome and honestly labeled. In keeping with the spirit of World Food Safety Day, the agency also collaborates with global partners all year long to strengthen food safety.

For example, the FDA has a Food Safety Partnership with Mexico to support high rates of compliance with food safety standards and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The agency also has Systems Recognition Agreements in place with New Zealand, Canada and Australia documenting that each country operates comparable regulatory programs that yield similar food safety outcomes.

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