WORLD FOOD SAFETY DAY OBSERVED ON 7TH JUNE
Every Year, 7th June is observed as World Food Safety Day.
What are the Key Highlights of World Food Safety Day?
The World Health Organization (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. It was first celebrated in 2019, to strengthen the commitment to scale up food safety made by the Addis Ababa Conference and the Geneva Forum in 2019 under the umbrella of “The Future of Food Safety”.
2022 Theme: Safer Food, Better Health
WHAT ARE THE RELATED INITIATIVES?
- Global: The Codex Alimentarius, or "Food Code" is a collection of standards, guidelines and codes of practice adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a joint intergovernmental body of the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. Currently, it has 189 members and India is a member.
- State Food Safety Index: FSSAI has developed the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) to measure the performance of States on five parameters of food safety. The parameters include Human Resources and Institutional Arrangements, Compliance, Food Testing- Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training and Capacity Building and Consumer Empowerment.
- Eat Right India Movement: It is an initiative of the Government of India and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to transform the country’s food system in order to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians. Eat Right India is aligned to the National Health Policy 2017 with its focus on preventive and promotive healthcare and flagship programmes like Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anemia Mukt Bharat and Swachh Bharat Mission.
- Eat Right Awards: FSSAI has instituted the ‘Eat Right Awards’ to recognize the contribution of food companies and individuals to empower citizens to choose safe and healthy food options, which would help improve their health and well-being.
- Eat Right Mela: Organised by FSSAI, it is an outreach activity for citizens to nudge them towards eating right. It is organised to make citizens aware of the health and nutrition benefits of different types of food.
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO)
- The Food and Agriculture Organization is an agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to combat hunger. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information and helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all.
- Formation: 16 October 1945, in Quebec City, Canada
- Headquarters: Rome, Italy
- Every year, World Food Day (Theme for 2018- Zero Hunger) is celebrated on October 16 to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in the year 1945. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-2) also aims to “End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” by 2030.
RELATED: WORLD FOOD DAY
World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16th to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945. FAO is a specialised agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. In 2021, the UN Secretary-General also convened the very first Food Systems Summit to discuss ways to transform the production and consumption of food.
About: It is observed annually to address the problem of global hunger. The day is also observed by organisations like World Food Programme (Was awarded nobel peace prize 2020) and International Fund for Agricultural Development. It emphasises on the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) i.e. Zero Hunger.
FAO’s CONTRIBUTION IN INDIA
It has closely watched India's fight against malnutrition in the past decades but its scope had many constraints. Due to reasons such as pregnancy at a young age, lack of education and information, inadequate access to drinking water, lack of cleanliness, etc. India is lagging behind in achieving the expected results of “malnutrition free India'' by 2022, envisaged under the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan).
FAO supported India's proposal to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets. The move will encourage intake of nutritious food, increase their availability further and benefit small and medium farmers who mostly grow coarse grains on their land where there is a problem of water and the land is not so fertile.
FAO’s Hunger Index, India’s Opposition and Farmers Protest: India has slipped to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021. However, the Indian government has questioned the poll-based assessment and methodology used by the FAO.
TEST YOURSELF
Q.1 Every year on which of the following dates World Food Safety Day is observed all over the world?
- 7th June: ANSWER
- 19th June
- 7th August
- 9th August
Q.2 The ___________ & __________ jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with Member States and other relevant organizations.
- UNICEF & Food and Agriculture Organization
- World Food Programme & UNESCO
- World Health Organization & Food and Agriculture Organization: ANSWER
- None of the following
Q.3 Consider the given options & state which of the following is correct regarding the theme for the World Food Safety Day 2022?
- Our actions are our future
- Safer Food, Better Health: ANSWER
- Zero Hunger World
- None of the above-mentioned
Q.4 Consider the given statements & state which of the following is/are incorrect in the reference to the above mentioned passage?
- FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
- It is one of the UN food aid organizations based in Rome (Italy) & It's sister bodies are the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
- Only I is incorrect
- Only II is incorrect
- Both I & II is incorrect
- None of the following: ANSWER
Q.5 Out of the given options, which of the following is among the flagship publications of the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)?
- The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).
- The State of the World's Forests (SOFO).
- The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
- None of the following: ANSWER
