MUSCAT: The Sultanate today joins the rest of the world to mark the World Food Safety Day (WFSD) which is celebrated on June 7 each year.
The WFSD 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.
This year’s theme, ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’, stresses that production and consumption of safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy. Recognizing the systemic connections between the health of people, animals, plants, the environment and the economy will help us meet the needs of the future.
Engineer Haitham bin Khalfan al Akhzami, Director-General of the Food Quality and Safety Centre at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, said that ensuring the safety and quality of food constitutes the principal objective in the national efforts for protecting public health and consumer safety.
In an interview with Oman News Agency (ONA), Al Akhzami affirmed that it has become imperative to enhance national efforts in the food safety field through uplifting the inspection and monitoring system and ensuring the safety and quality of food in various stages of production, transportation, storage and marketing inside the Sultanate and at the border outlets. This is in addition to conducting lab tests for food and water and scientific research on food and water.
The ministry’s labs are playing an effective role in protecting public health and ensuring the safety and quality of food and water by conducting lab tests for food and water samples. Both imported and home-grown foods undergo testing in the ministry’s labs, Al Akhzami said, noting that these labs also conduct research and studies related to the safety of food products. — ONA
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