World Food Safety Day

World Food Safety Day, observed on June 7th, raises global awareness about the importance of food safety practices and works to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne illness risks throughout the food supply chain. The United Nations General Assembly established the observance in 2018, jointly facilitated by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, recognizing food safety as a shared responsibility spanning farmers, food processors, retailers, and consumers alike, given that contaminated food causes hundreds of millions of illnesses and hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year according to global health estimates. The observance highlights the significant public health and economic burden of foodborne illness, which disproportionately affects children under five and populations in developing regions with less robust food safety infrastructure and regulatory oversight, while also addressing emerging challenges including globalized food supply chains that can rapidly spread contamination across borders, antimicrobial resistance linked to agricultural practices, and food safety risks associated with climate change effects on food production and storage. Each year, the observance adopts a specific theme, and events include public education campaigns about safe food handling and preparation practices, along with government and industry commitments to strengthen food safety regulations, inspection systems, and international cooperation on food safety standards and outbreak response coordination.