World Food Safety Day across the Near East region

The Codex Coordinating Committee for the Near East (currently coordinated by Saudi Arabia) reports on several official World Food Safety Day events from around the region this year.

Here’s a roundup:

Saudi Arabia

In a video address, Hisham Al-Jadhey, CEO of the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA), stated that “the world is celebrating World Food Safety Day, and is currently facing the impact of food supply chains, and the increasing burden of foodborne diseases indicates that diseases transmitted through food cause 600 million illnesses and 420 000 deaths worldwide every year, and these challenges require us to work together to make food safer for better health.”

In conjunction with World Food Safety Day, the SFDA organized a number of scientific symposia, awareness lectures and dialogue sessions for the purpose of enhancing consumer awareness about food safety and its ability to bring about change by making safe and healthy choices in terms of dietary patterns, safety and sustainability by new food sources. The events are highlighted the role that consumers play in the reduction of the global burden of disease and supporting sustainable food systems.

Kuwait

Kuwait sought to reach as wide an audience as possible by using various media channels. The Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) in Kuwait produced a press release and an awareness video explaining the role of the authority in the area of food safety, under the slogan "Safer Food for Better Health". Short films were aired on television channels, in shopping centres and in public buildings and coverage was shown on official state news channels. Radio and television also aired food safety programming about foodborne diseases and how to prevent them.

Videos also showed the role of PAFN itself in ensuring food safety. These videos showed inspection tours in food establishments, and how to work within food testing laboratories.

Yemen
The Republic of Yemen, represented by the Yemeni Organization for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control celebrated World Food Safety Day by raising awareness about role it plays in ensuring the existence of safe and healthy food for all. The organization chose World Food Safety Day to launch its National Strategic Food Safety Project 2022-2026, which includes the application of the HACCP system in all food and bottled water factories.

Oman

The Deputy Director of the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer, Muhammad Al-Ruzaiki, and the Director of the Nutrition Department at the Ministry of Health, Salima Ali Rashid Al-Maamari, presented a lecture on World Food Safety Day under the slogan “Safer Food for Better Health.”

Iran

Iran held many activities on World Food Safety Day including:

1. Lecture by the President of Iranian National Standards Organization on food safety and standards

2. Holding a training course for food industries on how to participate in the development of international Codex standards.

3. Lecture on the importance of food safety in the food supply chain.

4. Holding a joint meeting with government authorities related to the Iran food control system, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and INSO