— Minister Mustapha underscores as Guyana observes World Food Safety Day

MAKING Guyana a food and nutrition-secure nation is a priority area of focus for the government, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha told participants during a virtual presentation to mark World Food Safety Day (WFSD) 2021 on Monday.

“As we observe World Food Safety Day 2021, the first call to action is to ensure it’s (food) safe, that is, governments must ensure safe and nutritious food for all. A priority area of focus for this government is ensuring that Guyana is a food- and nutrition-secure nation.

One aspect of this entails strengthening our food safety systems which will ensure that all agricultural produce for human consumption is of the highest quality, produced under the strictest of hygienic conditions and are not capable of causing harm to the consumer” Minister Mustapha.

Minister Mustapha also said that it was important to recognise that the health of people, animals and the environment is interconnected and that any safety adverse event, especially now with the incidence of flooding being experienced, may have an impact on public health, trade and economy. He also stated that for Guyana to be a food-secure nation there must be safe food available for consumption and that government remains steadfast in its efforts to ensure safe food is indeed available for consumption.

Guyana’s Country Representative for the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dr. Gillian Smith stressed that the production and consumption of safe food have immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy.

“Food safety is both critical and complex. If you produce, process, sell or prepare food, then you have a role in keeping it safe. This year’s theme, ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’, stresses that the production and consumption of safe food have immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy.

It also draws attention and inspires five actions to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks to ensure food security, human health and economic prosperity. Our health and prosperity are guarded by effective food safety and quality control systems. Strong food safety systems foster economic development and improve livelihoods, which can promote access to domestic, regional and international markets. These are essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” Dr. Smith said.

Similarly, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture’s (IICA) Country Representative, Wilmot Garnett said the theme of this year’s World Food Safety Day stands at the heart of IICA’s technical cooperation programmes.

“This theme is at the heart of IICA’s technical cooperation programmes, in particular, our Agricultural Health and Food Safety and Quality Programme, which seeks to promote a productive, profitable, competitive agricultural sector that provides safe food to local, regional, and global markets through the application of appropriate SPS measures,” Garnett said.

World Food Safety Day (WFSD), celebrated on June 7, 2021, aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.

Minister Mustapha reminded participants that food safety is a shared responsibility between governments, producers and consumers. He also said that everyone has a role to play, from farm to table, to ensure that the food consumed is safe and healthy.

Recognising that this year is also International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, Minister Mustapha stressed that his ministry will continue to raise awareness on the food safety standards and guidelines for fruits and vegetables. He also stated that the agriculture sector has a key role to play in transforming Guyana’s food system.

“By adopting a holistic ‘food systems approach’ rather than an individual sector approach, Guyana can be more productive, more inclusive of the poor, more environmentally sustainable and resilient, and better equipped to deliver healthy, safe and nutritious diets to all Guyanese,” Minister Mustapha said.