Safe Food, Secure Future

Globally, nearly 600 million people suffer from foodborne diseases, and more than 400,000 die each year from consuming unhygienic and unsafe food. Clean and safe food is therefore crucial to promoting better health and ending hunger. The food we choose and the way we consume it affect not only our health but also the health of our planet, directly impacting 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 fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while reducing salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats — helps prevent non-communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes, supports proper bodily function, and contributes to overall well-being and longevity.

Food security is freedom from the fear of food shortages. It ensures that adequate and diverse food is available to all citizens throughout their life cycle, in ways that are culturally acceptable and obtained with dignity. The unit of food security can be a country, a state, or even a village. It is a fundamental right of every individual. As a well-known Hindi saying reminds us: “Bhookhe bhajan na hoye Gopala, pehle apni kanthi mala” — on an empty stomach, one cannot even worship God.

Adequate reserves of food grains should be systematically stored and distributed during times of need. Food security cannot be measured by food grains alone. A diverse diet — including cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, cooking oil, milk, eggs, beans, jaggery, and tubers — is essential for fulfilling daily nutritional requirements. Without diversity, stomachs may be full, but nutritional needs remain unmet.

Importantly, poverty is not the only barrier to food security; gender discrimination and social exclusion can also restrict access to food. Clean drinking water, sanitation, and dignity are also part of the right to food. Ensuring food security allows individuals to focus on other constructive processes of development, while governments are responsible for creating enabling environments for better production, ensuring stable market prices, and formulating policies that safeguard this right.

The four pillars of food security are:

1. Availability of food
2. Access to food
3. Proper utilization of food
4. Stability of food

The foundation of these pillars is nutrition. In other words, food security without nutrition is meaningless. Nutritional security ensures that everyone can consume quality food in sufficient quantities at all times, containing the variety and balance needed for an active and healthy life.

Practical Aspects of Food Security

• Production: Food self-sufficiency requires consistent and adequate production. Governments must adopt modern technologies and supportive policies to improve agricultural systems.
• Distribution: Regardless of production, all sections of society should have access to food. While those with means must be empowered with livelihood opportunities to enhance purchasing power, the marginalized and disadvantaged — including the elderly, disabled, widows, and tribal communities — must be supported through social security measures.
• Emergency preparedness: Natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and cyclones often pose challenges. States must ensure food reaches affected populations promptly to prevent starvation.

Elements of Food Security

1. Economic accessibility: Prices should not be so high that families cannot afford sufficient and nutritious food. Social security schemes must protect marginalized groups.
2. Physical accessibility: Adequate food should be available within reach of everyone, including vulnerable groups such as the physically disabled or destitute.

The right to food is enshrined in international law. Article 25(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) recognizes the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being, including food. Similarly, the FAO Constitution (1965) emphasizes freedom from hunger as a fundamental objective.

Ensuring Food Safety

Food safety is closely linked to food security. International regulations and systems that safeguard it include:

• International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005)
• INFOSAN – a global network for food safety officials
• Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) – scientific standards for food quality and safety
• HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) – preventing hazards in food production
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) – sanitary and processing standards
• Food Recall Systems – removing unsafe food from the market
• Use-By Date – ensuring products are consumed within safe timelines
• One Health Approach – integrating human, animal, and ecological health for food safety
• FSSAI (India) – overseeing safety and standards under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
• ISO 22000 – global food safety management standard

Role of Policymakers, Food Handlers, and Consumers

• Policymakers must build strong food systems, integrate safety into policies, and ensure global-local linkages.
• Food handlers and consumers should maintain hygiene, prevent cross-contamination, cook food thoroughly, store it safely, and always check labels.
• The WHO’s Five Keys to Safer Food — hygiene, separation of raw and cooked food, thorough cooking, safe storage, and safe water — remain essential to reducing foodborne diseases.

Looking Ahead

Food security has traditionally been supported by self-production, but today most people depend on markets. Small farmers have shifted from food crops to cash crops, leaving vulnerabilities in the system. Reviving sustainable practices alongside modern approaches is key.

A global pandemic like COVID-19 has shown how quickly everyday essentials can become scarce, making food security the most crucial line of defence. Nutrition strengthens immunity and resilience, and a healthy population is the foundation of a strong nation.