Unsafe Food: Developing Countries Spend $110bn On Medical Expenses Yearly – WHO

World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that developing countries spend about $110 billion yearly on medical expenses due to unsafe food.

This came as the director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, called on the stakeholders in the food supply chain to take deliberate actions to institute a food safety culture in their operations to mitigate the food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.

Adeyeye issued the warning at the 2024 World Food Safety Day, which had the theme “Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected.” She charged the stakeholders with taking deliberate actions to institute a food safety culture in their operations to mitigate the food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.

World Food Safety Day was established in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly after it was suggested by the Codex Alimentarius Commission as a way of raising food safety awareness and promoting collaboration across sectors.

According to WHO estimates, globally, one in 10 people become sick, and 420,000 die each year after consuming contaminated food, which is attributed to the loss of 33 million years of healthy life with children under five years and other vulnerable groups disproportionately affected in the poorer areas of the world.

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In developing countries, about $110 billion is lost yearly on medical expenses due to unsafe food.

Adeyeye remarked that food safety is not only important for public health but also a sine qua non for economic development and food security. He emphasised that everybody has a role to play, from the farm to the table, to ensure that the food one consumes is safe and will not damage his health.

She added that for World Food Safety Day 2024, WHO and Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) are asking all stakeholders on the food supply chain if they were prepared to address unexpected threats to food safety in an increasingly interconnected and interlinked global food supply.

Adeyeye noted that food safety is a collective responsibility, adding that everyone, from producers to consumers, needs to play his/her part to ensure that the food we eat is safe.

The campaign aims to promote global food safety awareness to strengthen efforts of preventing, detecting, and managing foodborne risks globally by highlighting the importance of being prepared for food safety incidents.

Food safety incidents are situations with a potential or confirmed health risk associated with food consumption. They can happen, for example, due to accidents, inadequate controls, food fraud, or natural events. While being ready to manage food safety incidents requires dedicated efforts from policymakers, food safety authorities, farmers, and food business operators, consumers can also play a very active role.

For example, according to the NAFDAC boss, the WHO World Food Safety Day 2024 communication toolkit suggests that governments commit to developing or updating national food safety emergency response plans, strengthening national food control systems, increasing surveillance and coordination capacities and improving communication with food businesses and the public.

Consequently, she mentioned that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has developed programmes for the elimination, eradication, prevention and control of diseases, which include the National Integrated Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Surveillance and Response which is useful for preparedness and rapid response to emerging and re-emerging foodborne diseases.