Safe food is essential to human health and well-being. Stakeholders are committed to ensuring that Bahrain becomes a leader in food safety management.
For a society to thrive, it is critical to make food safety a priority. It leads to improved nutrition and reduced absenteeism in schools and in the workplace. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, each year one in ten people consume contaminated food products, which leads to foodborne diseases and a host of health conditions, such as impaired growth, micronutrient deficiencies and mental illness.
With the aim of raising global awareness about preventing, detecting and managing foodborne risks, food safety was at the forefront of the Global Food Systems Summit in 2021, where the UN Country Team in Bahrain actively engaged. Participants identified food security and self-sufficiency of agricultural and fishery products as priorities for cooperation with the UN.
The UN Country Team in Bahrain will continue to work tirelessly towards the UN’s Strategic and Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the period 2021-2024. This progress is beneficial to long-term human development and the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly:
- Goal 2: Zero Hunger
- Goal 3: Health and Well-being
- Goal 6: Water and Sanitatio
Bahrain is developing and improving food systems to showcase food safety standards models at a global level. It has developed national policies and guidelines that align with international best practices. Furthermore, it participates in standards formulation, implementation, and evaluation in the food safety committee within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Rigorous safety standards are maintained when livestock, produce and food products are imported, which ensures that local livestock, citizens and the environment are protected from external foodborne threats.
To tackle food security concerns caused by climate change, urbanization and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Bahrain plans to increase local food production. The Kingdom will also prioritize the enhancing of safety measures relating to the production, processing, marketing and consumption of food.