By the bioMérieux Connection Editors
Over 200 different diseases can be spread through food, and most people will experience a foodborne disease at some point in their lives. World Food Day, started by the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations, is October 16th. The event is celebrated each year around the world to honor the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations in 1945. Its mission is to promote the importance of healthy, plentiful, and safe diets around the world.
Food safety is a goal of the “zero hunger” campaign for World Food Day 2019. The Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations state that as a way to support World Food Day, food manufacturers should strive to achieve better food safety and quality along food supply chains. They also say that the “risks of innovative technologies and industrialized systems to human and environmental health must be assessed and taken into consideration.”
An example of a negative health consequence from practices within industrialized food systems is the contribution to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR stems from excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in plants and animals, as well as in people. Effectively fighting antimicrobial resistance requires an integrated approach across industries, governments, and communities. At bioMérieux, we’ve made commitments to the fight against AMR as a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s AMR Challenge.
There are many ways to participate and plenty you can do to help spread awareness about this year’s “zero hunger” campaign. To learn more, visit the World Food Day – Take Action page.
Opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of bioMérieux, Inc.
