Attachments
Every year on June 7, the international community commemorates World Food Safety Day, established by the United Nations and jointly coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) i . This annual observance serves as a global reminder of the critical importance of ensuring safe and nutritious food for all. In 2025, the theme, "Food Safety: science in action," emphasizes the essential role that science, innovation, and evidence-based approaches play in building safer food systems, particularly in a world grappling with increasingly complex and interconnected challenges.
Food Safety: A Cornerstone of Nutrition and Health
Food security is not only about ensuring the availability of food—it also requires that food be safe, nutritious, and suitable for consumption. Globally, more than 600 million people— nearly one in ten—fall ill every year due to unsafe food consumptionii.
This situation is particularly alarming in Africa, where quality control, health surveillance, and early warning systems are often underdeveloped. This structural vulnerability exposes populations—especially young children—to recurrent health issues such as diarrheal diseases and malnutritioniii. Unsafe food impairs nutrient absorption, weakens the immune system, and worsens nutrition insecurity, particularly among children and pregnant women.
Progress, Challenges and Opportunities in Africa
In recent years, Africa has made significant progress in strengthening food safety systems. Key achievements include the development of early warning systems, the harmonization of food standards under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)v, and the promotion of more sustainable agricultural practices. However, significant challenges remain: weak transformation infrastructure for quality control, poor hygiene measures in markets and cold chains, uncontrolled use of pesticides, limited access to contaminant detection technologies, and fragmented data and policy frameworks across countries.
In this context, science is a key lever for strengthening food safety policies. Tools such as microbiological risk assessment, digital traceability, natural toxin surveillance, and innovative preservation and processing techniques are essential to building resilient and safe food systems.
A Multisectoral and Inclusive Approach
Building safe food systems requires close collaboration among a wide range of actors, each with a complementary role. Researchers generate the scientific evidence needed to guide decisions. Governments translate these findings into effective and coherent public policies. Producers and the agri-food industry apply good practices throughout the value chainvii. Consumers are informed and make safe choices. International organizations act as catalysts for knowledge dissemination, capacity building, and policy dialogue. Scientists continue to innovate and translate knowledge into practical solutions, while media and communication professionals play a crucial role in conveying reliable, accessible, and impactful messages to the public.
CERFAM’s Contribution: A Catalyst for Food Safety and Nutrition
In Africa, institutions such as the Regional Centre of Excellence against Hunger and Malnutrition (CERFAM) play a critical role in supporting applied research, promoting evidence-based good practices, and scaling up innovative solutions adapted to local contexts, with a focus on nutrition and food safety. CERFAM contributes to food safety through the following actions:
✓ Promoting good practices in food processing, preservation, and hygiene via knowledge-sharing platforms, technical bulletins, etc.
✓ Building the capacity of national institutions and local actors through online panel debates, training, thematic workshops, and South-South exchanges on nutritionsensitive innovations.
✓ Supporting the development of multisectoral public policies based on scientific evidence, aligned with nutrition and food security goals.
✓ Strengthening partnerships through advocacy events, good practice exchanges, and knowledge transfer between regional actors.
✓ Supporting local innovation, including the identification and dissemination of postharvest technologies within agricultural value chains.
Conclusion
Science is a powerful driver of transformation, enabling the translation of knowledge into concrete and sustainable action. By positioning science at the heart of food safety, Africa has a strategic opportunity to strengthen the resilience of its food systems, improve nutritional outcomes, and ensure a healthier future for its populations. World Food Safety Day reminds us that food safety begins in the field, continues in laboratories and markets, and reaches the plate to determine well-being for consumers. It is shaped by every decision made along the food chain.
Now more than ever, it is essential to develop bold policies, harmonize regional food safety policies, and invest in scientific research, enhancing monitoring and control systems and promoting proven, data-driven solutions.