Position Paper for World Health Organization (MUN) on Food Safety in South Africa

World Health Organization

Food Safety in South Africa

Delegate: Davis Thomas

Northwood High School, Irvine, CA

In Africa, where we have political instability, communicable diseases, and natural disasters, the importance of food safety has taken a back seat in government agendas. However, due to increased emphasis by the World Health Organization, food safety is becoming a central concern, not just in developed countries, but also in developing countries. We have all heard about the food safety problems affecting baby formula in China recently. In Africa, contaminated food, from pollution or improper food handling, has been recognized as playing a major role the spread of cholera. In our region of the world, cholera and associated diarrheal diseases accounted a whopping 17% of all deaths for children under 5 ⁽¹⁾. The high incidence of cholera in our young children is an indication of an alarming food hygiene situation. Food-borne diarrheal diseases also result in stunted or retarded growth in children and weaken immune systems. According to the World Health Organization, food-borne diseases are a growing risk to public health worldwide ⁽²⁾.

The World Health Organization Department of Food Safety is working with South Africa and other countries to build and strengthen food safety systems in order to properly manage the food supply ⁽³⁾. The approach is two-fold. In the rural sections of our country, the key is to provide training and guidance on food-related risks. The farming populous needs to understand the risk associated with using water that has come in contact with animal fecal matter can lead to the cross-contamination of food. The E. coli in fecal matter can be absorbed into the plant structure, and if the plantings are eaten in the raw form, the E. coli can then pass to people, causing severe and life-threatening consequences.

In the more industrialized sections of our country, we are working with the World Health Organization to develop improved monitoring of chemicals known to cause food-borne diseases. They are also working with us to establish standards for content and quality of food and helping to conduct laboratory training courses for human health, animal health and food safety.

The WHO has developed training tools in support of proper food handling and created the following five keys to safer food:

• Keep clean
  - Separate raw and cooked
  - Cook thoroughly
  - Keep food at safe temperatures
  - Use safe water and raw materials

Putting these in practice will greatly improve the quality and safety of our food. Proper food safety will lead to improved nutrition.

When we improve nutrition we raise the overall health of all. We have a high number of individuals suffering from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. These individuals are at a greater risk to be debilitated by unsafe food, as their immune systems are already compromised. If we can increase the safety of our food, thus increasing nutrition, we can improve the quality of life in those affected by these diseases ⁽⁴⁾. Furthermore, increased nutrition from food safety will help the thousands of children afflicted with malnutrition—the walking dead. Robbed of vital nutrients, these children grow up stunted, both physically and mentally, and for a country that still depends on manual labor to run much of its agriculture, it’s a double hit. They end up unproductive and require significant healthcare to stay alive. If we can get to these children early and provide them with nutritional and safe food, we can start these children on the road to a more productive and healthier life.

As outlined above, increase in food safety will lead to better health in our populous. Food safety will also reduce food losses and increase food availability, thus decreasing malnutrition. Food safety will also help wart off debilitating diseases or increase the quality of life in those affected. Last, but not least, food safety, along with increased food availability, will allow our children to grow healthy and become productive in our society.

References:

1. World Health Organization Mortality Fact Sheet South Africa, 2002
2. 7 January 2008 WHO publication “Initiative to estimate the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases”
3. 4 July 2005 WHO publication “What is WHO doing to help countries improve food safety?”
4. World Health Organization report, “National food safety systems in Africa – a situational analysis” ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/010/j6122e.pdf