Mazowe, 13 May 2015: The call was made during the belated commemoration of World Health Day which was held at Mazowe Prison Farm. Zimbabwe  commemorated a belated World Health Day under the theme Food Safety- from farm to plate, make food safe. The theme highlights the urgent need for governments; organizations; food producers; food businesses and consumers to put measures in place that will improve food safety from the point of production to consumption.

The commemoration, which was attended by key players in the food industry, consumer organizations, UN agencies, and the Mazowe farming community also showcased exhibitions and demonstrations of practical ways to farm, store, process and prepare food safely “from farm to plate.”

Food safety is an area of public health action to protect consumers from the risks of food poisoning and foodborne diseases, whether acute or chronic. It is different from, but invariably linked to food security. Unsafe food has put major strains on health systems and has hurt national economies, development and international trade among countries. New threats to food safety are constantly emerging, including changes in food production (genetically modified organisms), new and emerging bacteria and toxins and increases in travel and trade. These changes invariably enhance the likelihood of food contamination.

Speakers at the commemoration urged people to make the issue of food safety everybody’s business. In a statement, the Honorable Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa urged every Zimbabwean, whether producer, processor, trader and consumer of food to take the issue of food safety seriously if Zimbabwe is to avert a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, the elderly and the sick. “Everybody has a role to play in ensuring food safety, so we should all work together if we are to ensure that the food on peoples’ plates is safe to eat,” said Dr Parirenyatwa

The same sentiments were echoed by WR/Zimbabwe, Dr David Okello. In a speech read on his behalf, Dr Okello said, “… food safety is a cross-cutting issue and a shared responsibility which needs the participation of non-public health sectors like agriculture, trade and commerce, environment, standardization and consumer organizations among others.”  He urged the Ministry of Health and Child Care to seek the  support of all players and organizations active in the fields of food in the campaign to make food safe from farm to plate.