World Food Safety Day

World Food Safety Day is celebrated on June 7th and aims to inspire actions that promote human health through food safety, but also to raise awareness of foodborne risks. Unsafe foods may contain pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria or fungi, or chemicals contaminants, such as pesticides or toxins, among others. Food contamination can occur at any stage of the food chain; thus, food safety plays a crucial role in ensuring that food remains safe from production through harvesting, storage, distribution, preparation and consumption. Safe food contributes to health and well-being, economic prosperity, boosting agriculture, and sustainable development.

In 2025, the theme is Food Safety: Science in Action, highlighting the enormous contribution of science in researching and understanding what makes food unsafe and in discovering actions and tools to prevent food from being a vehicle for causing diseases. This year, the theme of World Food Safety Day highlights the essential role of scientists and scientific knowledge in reducing diseases, costs and protecting human health and life, as well as their contribution to establishing international standards, guidelines and codes of good practice based on science that help ensure food safety and quality in a consensual, inclusive and transparent way.

As a contribution, I highlight the study of pesticide effects (e.g. fungicides, herbicides) in cellular models, highlighting toxicological aspects dependent on molecular nature, dose, excipients and target cell, which is essential for food safety. And, the characterization of nutritional, phytochemistry, and nutraceutical properties of local foods, highlighting the role of foods and their constituents in mitigating and preventing diseases, contributing to improving human health through food.

I would also like to highlight the scientific work of CITAB members in terms of the various stages of the food chain that greatly contribute to Food Security.