About the campaign

Have you received a message about recalling food you bought in the supermarket and wondered what you should do? Do you know how to keep food safe after a disaster or emergency? Have you ever opened the refrigerator and realized that the electricity had gone off, and all of your food was defrosted? Did you wonder if you can still eat it?

Every day, on average, 1 600 000 people get sick due to unsafe food, contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances. It affects all countries.

The United Nations General Assembly established World Food Safety Day in 2018 to raise awareness of the importance of food safety. The campaign is jointly facilitated by WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN)

Food safety incidents that require intervention to protect the health of consumers can range from minor events to major crises. And because hazards have no regard for the lines humans draw on maps, an increasingly interconnected global food supply means that risks posed by unsafe food have the potential to rapidly evolve from a local problem to an international emergency.

In 2004, FAO and WHO jointly created INFOSAN, a global network of national food safety authorities, to facilitate the rapid exchange of information across borders and between members, recording hundreds of food safety incidents every year. Countries can and are encouraged to report international food safety events to INFOSAN. 

Campaign date
7 June

Campaign theme
Food safety: prepare for the unexpected

Campaign hashtag
#WorldFoodSafetyDay