Pesticides in snacks. Sugar in baby food. Poisonous dyes in spices.
These are just some of the contaminants and additives that have scientists at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (Cirad) worried.
While governments are paying attention to the “triple burden” of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and excess weight, food safety is all too often neglected, according to Cirad senior researcher Arlène Alpha.
Historically the biggest food safety risks were due to microbial contamination, but the industrialisation of the food system has caused an increase in products tainted with pesticides, antibiotics, unregulated additive and microplastics, she said.
“It is very important to put these challenges on the political agenda,” said Alpha on the eve of the 4th Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris, France, which runs from March 27 to 28.
The international gathering brings together representatives from governments, international organisations, civil society, researchers and the private sector to make political and financial commitments to improving global nutrition.
Nearly 3-billion people worldwide do not have access to healthy food, according to Cirad. A fifth of children under the age of five are stunted, and more than a third of the world’s population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies. Adult obesity rates — currently at 16% — are rising, and fuelling a growth in noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
These are all challenges confronting SA, which despite its middle income status has high rates of child malnutrition and stunting: more than a quarter (27%) of children under the age of five are stunted, according to the 2016 SA Demographic and Health Survey. About half the population is an unhealthy weight, with 68% of women and 31% of men being overweight or obese, according to the survey.
SA has also been rocked by a series of contaminated food scandals, including the world’s biggest recorded listeriosis outbreak traced to products sold by Tiger Brands, and a surge in food-borne illness among children living in townships and informal settlements.
Many developing countries lacked the resources to implement international standards for food safety, which were not always appropriate for the informal economy, said Alpha.
“Most low- and mid-income countries just copy and paste the standards that are set at international level, like Codex Alimentarius. What we argue is that the specificities and constraints of the informal sector should be at the heart of designing food safety laws and regulations,” she said.
• Kahn is attending the summit as a guest of the French government.
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