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- Ελληνικά
Food safety and the role of the competent European and Cypriot authorities
Under the motto "Food safety: be prepared for the unexpected", this year's 6th World Food Safety Day focuses on food safety emergencies, underlining the importance of prevention.
Every year, according to the World Health Organization, 600 million people worldwide are affected by around 200 different types of foodborne illnesses resulting from the consumption of unsafe food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals. This also results in 420 000 deaths per year. Both these illnesses and deaths could have been avoided.
Preparedness to manage food safety incidents requires specific efforts from policy makers, food safety agencies in countries, as well as from farmers, producers, food business operators and consumers themselves. Food safety saves lives by playing a key role in reducing foodborne diseases. Food safety risks recognise no borders, so in an increasingly interconnected global food supply, the risks posed by unsafe food can quickly evolve from a national problem to a problem with international dimensions.
The Competent Food Safety Services of both the Ministry of Health (Health Services and the General State Laboratory) and the other relevant Ministries of the Republic of Cyprus are in close cooperation with the European Commission and the European Commission. It is worth mentioning that the EU has one of the most stringent food safety systems in the world, ensuring and promoting a sustainable environment for safe food both at European and international level.
Welcoming the World Food Safety Day, Minister of Health Michael Damianos underlined the readiness of the competent services of the Ministry of Health to safeguard the safety and quality of food. This, he noted, is a top priority of the Ministry of Health, as it contributes to the prevention of public health.
The World Food Safety Day is an excellent opportunity to discuss synergistic approaches to improve food safety in all sectors of the production chain, to promote solutions and ways to improve the safety of the food we consume and to raise awareness among consumers. The European consumer information campaign '#Safe2EatEU', designed to support EU citizens to make informed and critical food choices in their daily lives, will contribute to this goal.
Cyprus, for the 3rd year, is participating in the European campaign #Safe2EatEU, the main objective of which is to empower citizens to make informed decisions about food consumption, ensuring safety and health in their everyday choices. The campaign continues to focus on informing and educating citizens on various aspects of food safety, including the importance of reading food labels and promoting food waste reduction practices, the safety of materials and objects in contact with food, food-borne illnesses, proper food handling techniques, etc.
World Food Safety Day is an excellent opportunity to highlight once again the immediate and long-term benefits of faithful implementation of food safety legislation.
