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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and its partners in EU Member States are launching today, 16/5/2023, for the third year, the #EUChooseSafeFood campaign, which aims to help European citizens make informed decisions about their food choices. A total of 16 countries are participating in the campaign and Cyprus is taking part for the 2nd consecutive year.
The #EUChooseSafeFood campaign is designed to support citizens to think critically about their everyday food choices. It provides important information to consumers, which includes tips for ensuring good food hygiene at home and suggestions for reducing food waste. This year, the campaign will focus on ways to protect against food-borne diseases, checking food for allergens and the correct use of food supplements.
The campaign is aimed mainly at European citizens aged 25 to 45, with a focus on young parents and people interested in food safety and science. At the same time, it highlights the role of European scientists working together to protect consumers from nutritional risks.
The Minister of Health of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr. Poppy Kanari, underlined the importance of the State in preventing the health of Cypriot citizens, noting that: "With a focus on people, the prevention and protection of citizens' health is a top priority of the State, which is primarily/indirectly linked, inter alia, to food safety. The competent authorities of the State, in cooperation with the competent authorities of the European Union, are constantly on the alert to ensure the safety of the food that reaches the consumer's plate. The Ministry of Health, for the first time, is integrating food safety programmes into its preventive programmes, as it focuses on preventing emerging risks and identifying unsuitable foodstuffs in order to protect public health. These programmes are carried out by the Health Services and the General State Laboratory in collaboration with departments of other ministries and with municipalities. This campaign, which is taking place in our country for the second consecutive year, will contribute significantly both to proper information and to strengthening the general perception of consumers on food safety issues. I would also like to express my thanks to the European Food Safety Authority for its cooperation and support for this campaign, which is also taking place in other EU Member States."
The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Petros Xenophontos, welcomed with great pleasure the launch of the food safety information campaign for Cypriot citizens for the second consecutive year, stating that: "The YMCA aims to ensure a high level of food safety for consumers through a coherent strategy -Farm to Plate- and appropriate monitoring. To this end, the competent department for food safety of the FVO, the Veterinary Services, is committed to ensuring the implementation of effective control systems and the assessment of compliance with EU standards in the areas of safety and quality of food produced and traded in Cyprus. At the same time, they ensure a rapid response when risks to public health are identified. I therefore warmly congratulate the European Food Safety Authority for this initiative to inform Cypriot citizens on food safety issues and in general to ensure that food risks are managed based on scientific expertise."
It is noted that the launch of the #EUChooseSafeFood campaign marks the start of initiatives to be developed at EU and national level in 16 countries across Europe. In the coming weeks and months, governments and food safety authorities across the EU will launch targeted activities and events for their national audiences as part of #EUChooseSafeFood.
For more information on the content of the campaign visit the website https:/campaigns.efsa.europa.eu/EUChooseSafeFood/#/index-cy.
(ΔΚ/ΜΓ)
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