Better Foods for Better Future

Globally, 600 million people suffer from disease and over 400,000 die each year from consuming unhygienic and unsafe food. Clean and safe food is crucial to promoting better health and ending hunger. The food we choose and how we consume it affects our health and the health of our planet. This impacts the functioning of agri-food systems.

Food is a fundamental necessity for life. The theme of World Food Day 2025 is "Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future". Food should be pure and nutritious. Adopting a healthy, balanced diet rich in variety, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while reducing salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Such a diet prevents from non communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes, supports proper bodily function, and it gives to overall well-being and longevity. Security means freedom from the worry of danger.

Food security means freedom from the worry of food shortages. Food security means ensuring adequate and diverse food availability for all citizens throughout the life cycle. This food is culturally acceptable to all, and the means of obtaining it are dignified. The unit of food security can be a country, a state, or even a village. The concept of food security defines a fundamental right of the individual. Everyone needs food rich in essential nutrients for survival. It is also important that food needs are met on time. Someone has rightly said in hindi,

"Bhookhe bhajan na hoye Gopala! Pehle apni kanthi mala (Lower than hungry, Lord, first, one's rosary). On an empty stomach, one cannot even worship God." Furthermore, thinking about development is tantamount to keeping oneself in the dark. Another aspect of this is that, given the uncertainty of the future, our reserves are becoming increasingly depleted. Adequate food grains should be stored, which should be promptly and systematically distribu

ted to those in need when needed. The right to food is a fundamental right. Our plate is not complete with food grains alone. To meet our daily needs, we require a diverse diet (cereals, pulses, cooking oil, vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk, beans, jaggery, and tubers) to meet our daily needs for nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and other nutrients. The government has a direct role in ensuring the right to food because rights are protected through policy, and the government is responsible for policymaking.

Without this diversity, our stomachs may be full, but our nutritional needs will remain unmet. Generally, poverty alone does not limit the right to food; gender discrimination and social exclusion can also violate people's right to food. Clean drinking water, sanitation, and respect are also part of the right to food. Recent experiences have taught us that state grain warehouses are not full because It should be that people are not able to purchase it. This means that from a social security perspective, there should be a well-planned system for grain supply. If food security is ensured in society, people will be able to play their role in other constructive processes. In this context, the government has the responsibility to create an environment for better production and maintain market prices of food grains in accordance with the community's interests.

The four main pillars of the house of food security are:

1. Availability of food,

2. Access to food,

3. Proper utilization of food, and

4. Stability of food.

These pillars give momentum and direction to food security. The foundation of both house and pillar is nutrition. In other words, food security is meaningless without nutrition. Nutritional security is a situation where everyone can actually consume quality food in sufficient and necessary quantities at all times. This food should contain variety, diversity, nutritional elements, and security, essential for an active and healthy life.

The practical aspects of food security are as follows: Production - It is believed that for food self-sufficiency, production requires adequate and adequate food. Continuous efforts should be made to increase production. In addition to using new technologies in line with international standards, the government should adopt a policy of reconstruction to improve the agricultural system. Distribution - Regardless of the production situation, all sections of society in the state should have the right to food grains as per their needs.

Those who are capable should be provided with livelihood opportunities to increase their purchasing power, and it is the state's right to provide social security to the deprived and marginalized communities (such as the disabled, the elderly, widowed women, backward tribal communities, etc.). Uncertainty of time is a key aspect of food security in emergencies. Natural disasters often pose challenges to the existence of society. In such situations, the state ensures that those affected by emergencies (such as drought, flood, or cyclone) do not face starvation.

Elements of food security: Availability - obtaining food from natural resources - well-organized distribution system, meeting nutritional needs, conforming to traditional food practices, safety, and quality standards.

1. Economic accessibility: It should be ensured that the price of food grains is not so high that an individual or family cannot consume the quantity and nutrition required. It is natural that food security should be provided through social security schemes for the marginalized and disadvantaged sections of society.

2. Physical accessibility - This means that adequate quantities of food should be available to everyone within their reach. In this regard, it is essential to facilitate access for the physically and mentally handicapped and the destitute. Article 25(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that everyone has the right to a decent standard of living for himself and his family, including security of food, clothing, and housing. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared in the preamble to its Constitution in 1965 that ensuring freedom from hunger is one of its fundamental objectives.

Equality and respectful treatment are a fundamental prerequisite. When relationships are good, problems become much easier to solve. Some of the laws, regulations, and organizations that ensure food safety are:

1. International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005).

2. INFOSAN – It is an international food safety network of food safety officials jointly established by FAO and WHO for information exchange and cooperation.

3. Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) – It is a global standard established on the basis of scientific evidence related to the health and nutritional quality of food (WHO and FAO joint programme).

4. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP) – It is a process control system that identifies potential hazards in the food production process and identifies all possible options to prevent hazards from occurring.

5. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) – It outlines the minimum sanitary and processing requirements necessary to ensure the production of safe and nutritious food.

6. Food Recall – A food recall is defined as an action taken to remove food from the supply chain (which may pose a safety risk to consumers during sale, distribution, or consumption). It can remove food from the market at any stage of the food chain, even after the food has reached consumers. The term “recall” is widely used in connection with food recalls.

7. Use-By Date (Recommended Last Consumption Date or Expiration Date) – This is the estimated period after which a product's quality is either lost or significantly reduced. This means that the product must be consumed before the use-by date to ensure its quality and usefulness to the consumer.

8. One Health Approach and Food Safety: Adopting a One Health approach to food safety involves integrating experts and resources from multiple health-related fields, including human and veterinary, wildlife and aquatic health, and plant pathology communities, along with the ecological communities. (IOM, 2012).

9. FSSAI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established in 2006 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to oversee the safety and standards of food in India.

10. ISO 22000: ISO 22000 is a standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization of Food Safety. Some of the measures to ensure food safety are:

a) Efforts to be followed by policymakers:

i) Build and maintain adequate food systems and infrastructure;

ii) Multi-sectoral collaboration and Collaboration (especially in the animal husbandry and agriculture sectors),

iii) Integrating food safety into broader food policies and programmes (especially nutrition and food safety),

iv) Think globally and act locally – ensuring the international safety of domestically produced food.

B. Efforts to be followed by food handlers and consumers –

i) Maintain adequate information about food and common diseases caused by spoiled food,

ii) Make food safe by practicing the five keys given by WHO,

iii) Consumers should read the labels attached to the products they purchase to get information about the product.

c) Five keys to safe food by the World Food Organization (WHO) (WHO, 2015) -

1. Food hygiene:

i) Wash raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly with tap water.

ii) Always keep your hands and kitchen clean. Use a vegetable cutting board for cutting vegetables.

2. Separating cooked and raw food:

i) Do not mix raw food and ready-to-eat food.

ii) Do not store raw meat, fish, and raw vegetables together.

3. Thorough cooking:

i) Cook meat, poultry, shrimp, and seafood thoroughly.

ii) Cook until hot steam no longer comes out of the food.

4. Store food at a safe temperature:

i) Refrigerate cooked food within two hours.

ii) To defrost frozen food, do not store it at room temperature but use a refrigerator or microwave.

5. Use safe water and raw food:

i) Use safe drinking water for food preparation.

ii) Check the 'use-by' date and label when purchasing packaged food.

A segment of society used to avoid purchasing the food they needed from the market. They either produced or stored it. But now everyone is at the mercy of the market. To earn economic profit, even small farmers abandoned food crops and focused on cash crops, barely surviving under adverse conditions.

Will the traditional system of food security be revived once again?

If food security prevents food shortages, the health of the nation's people will improve. A global pandemic creates a global emergency. In an emergency, everyday items become scarce. Food shortages are the most serious disease in an emergency. Due to food shortages, people begin to cry out in distress.

The best and most effective solution to address food shortages is food security. India must be vigilant about food security. People with weakened immunity need nutrition. Physically weak individuals are the ones who cannot withstand a disease like COVID-19. Nutrition strengthens the body. It's no surprise to say that community health is a nation's wealth. Therefore, we can say that a healthy future cannot be imagined without safe food.

(By Dr. Shanker Suwan Singh)