Chester Sambrano
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) says foodborne diseases (FBDs) remain a public health concern in the Caribbean and across the world, with one in 10 people worldwide falling ill from contaminated food each year.
In its World Food Safety Day 2024 message today, CARPHA said increasing FBD cases and outbreaks have been reported across CARPHA Member States (CMS), especially in the tourism and cruise ship industry.
CARPHA explained that FBDs can cause morbidity, mortality, and economic burden on countries; they can also pose significant economic, social, and reputational impacts on trade and tourism.
CARPHA said it has joined the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) to commemorate World Food Safety Day on June 7th.
The theme for 2024 “Food safety: prepare for the unexpected” reiterates that food safety is a collective responsibility, and everyone needs to play their part.
It said at all levels, we must be prepared to intervene if food safety is compromised.
CARPHA said, " Governments can update national food safety emergency response plans, strengthen national food control systems, increase surveillance and coordination capacities and improve communication, food businesses can improve food safety management plans, collaborate and share lessons learnt and improve communication with consumers, consumers can ensure they know how to report or respond to a food safety incident."