A global call for conscious consumption

Heramba Nath

(herambanath2222@gmail.com)

Every day, across the world, an alarming number of people fall ill after consuming food that has been contaminated or handled improperly. It is estimated that nearly one in ten individuals globally suffers from food-borne diseases each year, a sobering statistic that underscores the hidden yet pervasive risk that lurks within something as fundamental as a daily meal. The very sustenance that keeps humanity alive also carries the potential to cause significant harm when basic safety practices are overlooked. In a time when food systems span continents and complex supply chains, ensuring the safety of what people eat has emerged as one of the most urgent yet understated public health challenges of the modern era.

It is within this context that World Food Safety Day, observed annually on June 7, acquires vital relevance. Spearheaded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the World Health Organization, this day serves as a timely global call to action - a reminder that the responsibility for ensuring safe food extends far beyond regulatory authorities and industrial producers. It is a shared obligation that binds farmers, vendors, businesses, governments, consumers, and communities alike. Food safety is neither a luxury for affluent societies nor a technicality confined to laboratory testing; it is a public health imperative that demands collective vigilance, policy coherence, and ethical stewardship.

Food safety encompasses a wide array of measures designed to protect food from contamination by biological, chemical, or physical hazards from the moment it is produced until it reaches the consumer. It involves critical practices in handling, preparation, transportation, storage, and serving - all geared toward preventing illness and preserving public health. The consequences of unsafe food can be far-reaching, ranging from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to life-threatening diseases and long-term cognitive and physical impairments, especially among children and the immunocompromised. The WHO has attributed over 200 diseases to the consumption of unsafe food, an alarming reality that affects not only health but also undermines economic productivity, food security, and social stability.

In the Indian context, food safety assumes additional significance, given the country's diverse culinary traditions, vast informal food sector, and infrastructural disparities between urban and rural areas. Despite rapid urbanisation and improvements in food industry regulation, large sections of the population continue to rely on unregulated street food vendors, small-scale eateries, and local markets where safety standards are inconsistently applied. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has made commendable efforts in recent years to tighten regulations, launch awareness campaigns, and standardise practices through initiatives such as the 'Eat Right India' movement. Nevertheless, widespread challenges persist, especially in semi-urban and rural regions where resources, infrastructure, and awareness remain inadequate.

In Assam, the issue is particularly acute. From bustling street food markets in Guwahati to traditional household kitchens in remote districts, the risk of food-borne diseases remains a constant concern. Popular Assamese dishes such as pitha, smoked meats, and fermented delicacies are integral to cultural identity but require careful handling to ensure safety. Street-side vendors serving momos, puris, and rice-based snacks to thousands of commuters daily often lack access to clean water, refrigeration, waste disposal systems, and formal hygiene training. While food contributes to the state's rich cultural fabric and social life, it must also be viewed through the lens of public health. Food-borne diseases, left unchecked, have the capacity to impair community health, affect productivity, and place added pressure on an already burdened healthcare system.

Globally, the food safety landscape has grown increasingly complex in the face of new production technologies, climate change, and rapidly evolving consumer habits. Rising global temperatures and erratic weather patterns have altered the epidemiology of food-borne pathogens, increasing the risk of contamination in fresh produce, seafood, dairy, and meat. The proliferation of pesticide residues, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in animal products, microplastics in aquatic food chains, and heavy metal contamination in fruits and vegetables represent serious modern-day threats. Coupled with growing reliance on processed and packaged foods laden with artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives, the cumulative health burden of unsafe food is escalating.

The COVID-19 pandemic, too, highlighted the integral role of food safety within public health systems. Hygiene lapses within food supply chains can potentially facilitate the spread of zoonotic diseases, reminding the world that food safety is not a peripheral concern but central to health security and pandemic preparedness. The global crisis reaffirmed that hand hygiene, proper sanitisation, traceability of food origins, and responsible handling are indispensable components of a resilient public health framework.

World Food Safety Day not only serves as a platform to disseminate safety tips but also calls attention to deeper, systemic issues such as the ethics of food production, the impact of globalisation on traditional food systems, and the growing disparity between industrial and informal food sectors. It reminds policymakers that food safety regulations must not merely exist on paper but be actively enforced, with equal emphasis on urban and rural food environments. It underscores the need to invest in cold storage infrastructure, vendor training, laboratory capacity, and public awareness programmes, particularly in low-income and marginalised communities where food safety risks are compounded by poverty and neglect.

Education remains a cornerstone in cultivating a culture of food safety. Instilling basic hygiene practices in children and adolescents, teaching responsible consumption, and integrating nutrition and food safety education into school curricula can produce long-term public health benefits. Simple interventions like handwashing campaigns, food labelling awareness drives, and community workshops on safe food storage and preparation can dramatically reduce the incidence of food-borne diseases.

The ethical dimension of food safety also merits reflection. In the relentless pursuit of profits, some producers compromise on hygiene, adulterate products, or use harmful chemicals, endangering consumer health and undermining public trust. Regulatory frameworks must not only penalise such transgressions but actively promote responsible food entrepreneurship, rewarding adherence to safety standards and ethical business practices.

The future of food safety will increasingly depend on scientific innovation. Technologies like blockchain, which can enable transparent and tamper-proof tracking of food products from origin to sale, hold promise for improving accountability in complex supply chains. Real-time sensors capable of detecting contamination, predictive analytics for identifying potential outbreaks, and AI-powered surveillance systems will form an integral part of advanced food safety infrastructure. Equally important is ensuring that smallholder farmers, who produce a significant proportion of food in countries like India, are integrated into these frameworks through training, resources, and market linkages.

For Assam, and indeed India, preserving rich culinary traditions while ensuring food safety presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Traditional food fairs, street markets, and festive community feasts must be equipped with basic hygiene facilities, waste management systems, and vendor education without diluting their cultural authenticity. Policymakers must carefully balance cultural preservation with modern safety standards, ensuring that tradition and public health complement rather than conflict with one another.

At the individual level, simple practices - washing hands before cooking and eating, cleaning produce thoroughly, storing perishables appropriately, avoiding expired or visibly spoiled food, and ensuring thorough cooking - remain the first line of defence against food-borne illness. Public awareness campaigns should aim to embed these habits in daily life, making food safety a routine part of household decision-making.

Food safety also intersects directly with the broader goals of sustainable development. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially those relating to good health, zero hunger, responsible consumption, and decent work, cannot be achieved without safe, hygienic, and nutritious food systems. Unsafe food threatens livelihoods, impairs education outcomes, and widens health disparities. Its impact is most acutely felt by the poor, the young, and the vulnerable - groups already burdened by multiple social and economic disadvantages.

Ultimately, World Food Safety Day is not a ceremonial date on the calendar but a vital reminder of the intertwined relationship between health, food, environment, and society. Every meal prepared and served safely represents a small but significant victory for public health. Every child protected from food-borne illness strengthens the foundations of a healthier, more productive nation. As societies confront increasingly complex challenges, from climate change to pandemics, food safety must remain at the heart of public policy, healthcare planning, and community life. Through scientific innovation, ethical business practices, active regulation, and conscious public participation, the vision of a world where safe, nutritious food is a right for all, not a privilege for some, can gradually become a lived reality.