COMMEMORATION OF 4^th WORLD FOOD SAFETY DAY

 Theme: “Food Safety: A Critical pillar to strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security in Africa”

06-07 June 2022

INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

WHAT:  Commemoration of the 4^th World Food Safety Day

WHEN:

• Technical Session on 06 June 2022           12:00pm – 16:00 (EAT)
• High-Level Session - 07 June 2022                2:00pm – 16:00 (EAT)

WHERE:         Zoom virtual platform:

Please register in advance for this webinar:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g99FVHHlRX2C-b2AlJ4i2g

WHO:  This event is organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (DARBE)

SPEAKERS: The meeting will be held for two consecutive days with various high-level Speakers and panelist

High-level Session- 07 June 2022

1. H.E El-Said Marzouq El-Qosair, The Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt and Chair of the STC Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (ARDWE)
2. H.E.  Amb. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission
3. H.E Minata Cessouma Samat Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union commission
4. Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, The Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency - NEPAD.  
5. H.E Wamkele Mene, The Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat          
6. Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa, · Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at African Union Commission - Moderator

Technical Session – 06 June 2022

1. Representative of ILRI (Research perspective)
2. Representative of Food Industry Association (industry)
3. Representative Food Regulatory Authorities from Member states
4. AfCFTA Secretariat
5. African Development Bank
6. Representative from Chamber of Commerce/Business Council
7. Representative of IFPRI
8. Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF)

Background

Each year one in ten people in the world fall ill from contaminated food. In Africa alone 137,000 people die every year due to consumption of unsafe food. It has been estimated that the public health burden of foodborne diseases is comparable to malaria and HIV-AIDS. Apart from its public health impact, unsafe food has serious implications for food security, nutrition and trade. Improvements in food availability will not benefit many of those at nutritional risk without corresponding improvements in the nutritional quality and safety of food as well as a reduction in food contaminants. Unsafe food further limits access to markets with far reaching impacts on farmers and producers namely loss of family income, inability of farmers to build capital and savings with consequential limitations on ability to access social services.

If not managed, unsafe food will continue to reduce agriculture-derived incomes and drive rural farmers and traders in particular into poverty and impoverishment. This is why enhancing food safety is not just a public health issue but a development challenge. The production, trade or consumption of unsafe food could undermine the attainment of the objectives of African Union Agenda 2063 the Africa We Want, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Malabo Declaration Commitment on ending hunger and tripling intra-African trade in agricultural products by 2025, and the successful implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Cognizant of the impact food safety has in Africa, the African Union Commission (AUC) has placed high-level political commitments to ensure that issues of food safety are adequately addressed in order to meet development goals. This year, the AUC will join the rest of the world to commemorate the fourth World Food Safety Day. The celebrations will be used to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, thereby contributing to human health, food and nutrition security, economic prosperity, market access, and sustainable development. 

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose for commemorating of 4th World Food Safety day is to increase awareness of our own African Foods, bring them into the agribusiness domain, and motivate wide advocacy for safe food. It is also aimed at building a compelling case for integrating food safety (both from plants and animals) into our different food systems. 

In commemoration of the 4^th World Food Safety Day, the African Union Commission will organize virtual events from 6 to 7 June 2022. The objectives of the events are:

1. Raise awareness and mobilize collective action to improve food safety in Africa.
2. Share experiences, challenges and solutions
3. Identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety in Africa.
4. market availability and consumption of our African diets within the context of our different food systems.

6. Expected Outcomes

The overriding outcome expected from the commemoration of the World Food Safety Day is to arrive at a common understanding and appreciation of the need to safe food to boost the intra African trade and  developing Innovative approaches to raising food safety standards and regulation in the informal food sector in Africa. By so doing, the event hopes to widen the range of Africa’s food baskets, increase nutrient bioavailability and drastically cut food insecurity and malnutrition on the continent.

This outcome will be presented in the form of a final communiqué of the event. The event will also produce the summary and synthesis of the technical discussions and recommendations for action.

For More Information on the event:

• Dr. Simplice Nouala Fonkou, Head of Agriculture and Food Security Division, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission – Email: NoualaS@africa-union.org

For Media inquiries:

• Ms. Peace Lydia Mutuwa, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission; Email mutuwap@africa-unin.org
• Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Directorate of Information and Communications; AU Commission Tel: 0911-630631; Email: molalett@africa-union.org ;

Follow the discussions:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AUC_CAADP,@AU_DARBE @_AfricanUnion
• #WorldFoodSafetyDay
• Learn more at: http://www.au.in

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