In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed that, every year, June 7 would be celebrated as World Food Safety Day. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations decided to jointly facilitate the observance.

The purpose of this day is to “inspire action to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism, and sustainable development.” It also reminds us all why improving food safety is important.

The WHO estimates that each year, unsafe food causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 420,000 deaths worldwide. Of this number, 30 percent of foodborne deaths occur among children under 5 years of age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases each year in the United States.

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