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Health News on Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Source: Dailyguidenetwork.com
2019-06-11
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According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 137,000 people in Africa die each year from contaminated food.
According to WHO, the African region is the country most affected by foodborne illness, with more than 91 million people contracting the disease by consuming contaminated food.
"Children under five support 40% of food-borne illnesses, resulting in 125,000 deaths each year," said Dr. Owen Kaluwa at the first commemoration of World Food Security Day in Accra.
Under the theme "Food Security, Everyone's Business", the day was about highlighting relevant food security issues in order to develop interventions and recommendations that can be used to promote safe food practices at home. among the Ghanaian population.
Dr. Kaluwa, who spoke at the symposium, said 600 million people, or nearly one in ten people worldwide, became sick from eating contaminated food, killing 420,000 people each year , resulting in the loss of 33 million years of healthy life.
"A recent World Bank study finds that the estimated public health costs of food-borne illnesses in low-income and middle-income economies alone are $ 15.1 billion," he said. -he adds.
Dr. Kaluwa said that foodborne diseases can be prevented and that everyone from decision makers to consumers has an important role to play, adding that "food can be contaminated at any time during production and of distribution. All food producers are therefore necessary. Manipulators and consumers understand the importance of adopting basic hygienic practices when buying, selling and preparing food products to protect their health and that of the wider community. "
Ms. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Deputy Director General and Regional Representative for Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the commemoration marks a milestone for other partners organization, which together strengthen their joint efforts in the defense of food security. and the mobilization of partnerships.
He added that FAO supports the Government of Ghana's efforts to improve the safety and nutritional balance of food through, for example, a collaboration with the Food & Drugs Authority on "incentives for healthy food in the streets "to enhance the safety and balanced diet of food sold on the street. .
"Another TCP is being finalized to support the strengthening of food safety control systems in collaboration with the Food & Drugs Authority, the Directorate of Veterinary Services, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services, Ghana. Standards Authority and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, "he added. .
Delesi Mimi Darko, chief executive of the Food 7 Drugs Authority (FDA), stressed the need to take urgent measures to prevent food contamination "because any detrimental incident related to food safety can have overall negative effects on public health, commerce and the economy. "
She said improving food safety led to a reduction in foodborne illness, protecting customers, improving everyone's position in a community and also boosting consumer confidence.
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