New Delhi, Sep 20: Climate change is a challenge for the global food system, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, at the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday. 

In a video message to the second Global Food Regulators Summit in Delhi, the WHO chief highlighted the important role of national food regulators in harmonising regulatory policies for the world.

In addition to climate change, “population growth, new technologies, globalisation, and industrialisation" are other increasing challenges to the global food systems, Ghebreyesus said.

Further, he said food regulators also play a critical role in combating unsafe food, which causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 4,20,000 deaths annually.

He also lamented that 70 per cent of fatalities from unsafe food occur among children under five.

"The food regulator community has a critical role to play in addressing these global challenges," Ghebreyesus said.

Meanwhile, stressing the need for innovative regulatory solutions, Dr Samuel Godefroy, President, the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) stated that food science is vital for human survival.

He also applauded FSSAI for its contribution to strengthening the global food regulatory network.

Steve Wearne, Chairperson, Codex appreciated India’s significant investment in Codex and food safety regulation. He highlighted that India is one of the few countries to host subsidiary commissions of Codex.

The Summit also launched the Food Import Rejection Alerts (FIRA) -- an online portal designed to notify the public and relevant food safety authorities about food import rejections at Indian borders.

The two-day Summit is expected to witness over 5,000 physical attendees and virtual participation exceeding 1,50,000. This includes 1,00,000 food business operators, 40,000 students and researchers, 6,000 exporters, 5,000 importers, and 3,500 food safety officers. About 2,500 food safety trainees, 2,000 laboratory officials, and 800 Food Safety Mitras, apart from participation in Indian Missions in over 60 countries will also participate.

--IANS