Today, Malawi commemorated World Food Safety Day under the theme ‘Food Standards Save Lives’ at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe.

Gracing the occasion, Deputy Director of Community and Promotive Health Services, Mr Allone Ganizani revealed that government through Ministry of Health alongside Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has put in place strategies to ensure that food is safe from harm to consumer.

”Let us acknowledge the efforts of our farmers who work tirelessly to produce food for our nation. We recognize their dedication and hard work. However, we must also address the use of pesticides and ensure that they are used responsibly, minimizing the risk of contamination,” explained Mr Ganizani.

Speaking on behalf of the academia Victoria Ndolo, Associate Professor in Food Science at the University of Malawi said time has come for Malawians to know how hygiene relates to food safety.

“If we are not careful with our general hygiene, we could be the carriers of the food contaminants and therefore cause food safety issues. Right now we need to make sure that people are aware of having safe food because even if we have enough food but not safe then we are not food secure,” Dr Ndolo explained.

Globally, over 600 million people fall ill from contaminated food each year and over 200 diseases such as Cholera and Typhoid are caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances such as heavy metals.