ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Food Authority (IFA) and Impact Research International organised a consultative session where experts highlighted the dangers of unsafe food, warning that contaminated food continues to harm public health, especially among children.

Experts from various sectors, including stakeholders from agriculture, health, research, and small businesses urged immediate action to prevent food-borne illnesses and promote safe food handling across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Tahira Siddique, Deputy Director IFA, said that food supply involves many people such as producers, transporters, retailers, and consumers. At every step, there’s a risk of contamination. We regulate the process through careful monitoring to detect potential hazards.

She added that food safety isn’t the responsibility of a single sector as it requires involvement at every stage. Each link in the chain must recognise its role in keeping food safe.

Stress need for nationwide awareness campaign backed by scientific evidence

Zubair Faisal Abbasi, Executive Director Impact Research International, explained how unsafe food not only harms health but also weakens the economy. Every year, about 600 million people fall sick globally due to food-borne diseases. Around 420,000 of these cases end in death, he said. Children under five years of age are the most affected, accounting for 40pc of these cases.

He added that the problem is severe in low- and middle-income countries. Unsafe food causes a loss of 110 billion dollars every year in productivity and healthcare costs. It puts pressure on healthcare systems and affects national growth, trade, and tourism.

Pakistan faces similar challenges, he added. Contaminated food is common, and the number of illnesses linked to bacteria like Salmonella is growing. The experts said the country records about 412 cases of Salmonella per 100,000 people annually. Diseases like hepatitis and typhoid are also linked to poor food safety.

One growing concern is the increasing popularity of ready-to-eat food such as burgers, shawarma, and pizza. While convenient, many of these meals are found to be unsafe.

Tauqeer Mustafa, a public health expert from One Health Project, shared data showing that nearly 38pc of such food is unfit for human consumption.

People often take antibiotics to treat food poisoning, or even give them to animals, he said. This leads to antimicrobial resistance, which is a growing threat. If not controlled, it could take us back to a time when minor infections were deadly.

MrMustafa called for a nationwide campaign backed by scientific evidence and supported through public events and policy actions.

Rashid Chaudhry, a food governance expert, stressed the need to support small farmers. If they don’t make profits, they won’t follow safe methods, he said. There must be economic incentives to reduce the use of harmful substances in farming.

Qamar Mehdi, an agriculturist promoting organic practices, added that the focus should shift from crop yield to food quality. A product that is not safe is not food. We must value health over quantity.

Sajid Iqbal, Chairperson Green Pakistan, spoke about the importance of teaching children about food safety. We need a school health programme. Children should learn how to identify healthy food and avoid unsafe snacks, he said.

The importance of awareness was echoed by Sardar Zaheer Ahmed, who represents small traders and industries. Many people are unaware of how unhygienic food can cause illness. They must be shown what safe practices look like, he said. He suggested establishing a centralised slaughterhouse in Islamabad to improve meat safety.

The participants agreed that unsafe food poses a threat not just to health, but to economic growth. They called on national and local authorities to take immediate steps.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025