The Safe Food Imperative : Accelerating Progress in Low and Middle-Income Countries

Food safety is linked in direct and indirect ways to achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those on ending hunger and poverty, and promoting good health and well-being. Food and nutritional security are realized only when the essential elements of a healthy diet are safe to eat, and when consumers recognize this. The safety of food is vital for the growth and transformation of agriculture, which are needed to feed a growing and more prosperous world population, for the modernization of national food systems, and for a country's efficient integration into regional and international markets. The safety of food is the result of the actions or inactions of many stakeholders operating under diverse environmental, infrastructure, and socio-political conditions. These stakeholders include farmers, food handlers and distributors, food manufacturers, food service operators, consumers, regulators, scientists, educators, and the media. Their behavior can be shaped by their awareness of food safety hazards; their technical, financial, and other capabilities to apply effective mitigating practices; and prevailing rules, incentives, and other motivators. Food safety outcomes can be strongly influenced by policies, investments, and other interventions. These alter the awareness, capabilities, and practices of stakeholders, from farm to fork. Well-functioning markets can provide incentives for farmers and food business operators to supply products that match the safety characteristics consumers demand. Even so, there are many circumstances stemming from problems of information and costs where pure market signals fail and additional measures are needed. Problems of information include the actual attributes of food products, and the location and origins of food safety hazards.