但也许并非如此。由于食品的加工、运输和贸易已经全球化，污染成分可能远销各地，触及成千上万的消费者，引发疾病甚至死亡。而当食品业和零售商不得不匆忙从货架上撤下某一产品时，还会造成巨大的经济损失。

世界卫生组织（WHO）总干事陈冯富珍博士说，工业化食品生产和全球性分销“使食品有多种新的机会遭受有害细菌、病毒、寄生虫或化学物质的污染。”

“从农场到餐盘，保证食品安全”是世界卫生组织在4月7日世界健康日(World Health Day)这一天提出的建议。

世界卫生组织报告说，危险的细菌、病毒、寄生虫或化学物质会以各种途径进入食品，造成从腹泻到癌症等200多种疾病。

陈冯富珍说，譬如，当含有多个国家食材来源的食品被发现是致病原因时，“地方的食品安全问题就会迅速变成一个国际性的紧急情况。”

美国农业部（USDA）也努力在世界健康日提高消费者的食品安全意识。农业部正在推出新资源以方便消费者了解食品储存的最佳做法，并为具体的食品问题提供解答。其中包括：

• 美国农业部发布了适用于苹果/安卓手机的应用程序“Foodkeeper”，来提供关于400多种食品和饮料的正确储存办法的建议和警告。[可以从Google Play store和iTune上下载此程序]

• 美国农业部的网站 Foodsafety.gov介绍保障食品安全的做法，并提供有关最新警告和食品召回的突发新闻信息。

• 农业部推出Recipes for Disaster（“灾难成因”）系列视频，推广如何做到保障食品安全。

   

  https://share.america.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AP100819118397.jpg在美国一次食品安全恐慌中，上亿枚受污染的鸡蛋被撤下货架。(AP Images)  
  
  
  

  “Maybe I just ate something gone bad.” We’ve all said it when our stomachs or guts start to rebel. No big deal.

  Maybe not. Because processing, shipment and trade of food products have gone global, a tainted ingredient can be widely distributed, reach thousands of consumers and cause illness — even death. Industries and retailers can experience costly disruptions during a scramble to sweep a product from the shelves.

  Industrialized food production and globalized distribution “introduce multiple new opportunities for food to become contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals,” said World Health Organization (WHO) leader Dr. Margaret Chan.

  “From farm to plate, make food safe” is the advice WHO offers on World Health Day, April 7.

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  E. coli infection of vegetables has caused illness and market upheaval in several European countries. (AP Images)

  Nasty bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances find their way into food to cause more than 200 diseases, from diarrhea to cancers, WHO reports.

  “A local food safety problem can rapidly become an international emergency,” Chan said, when an illness is traced to a foodstuff containing ingredients with origins in multiple countries, for example.

  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also is working to raise consumer awareness of food safety on World Health Day. The agency is introducing new resources for consumers to learn best practices for food storage and get answers to questions about specific products. Among them:

  • Foodkeeper, an iOS/Android app that provides advice and cautions about proper storage practices for more than 400 food and beverage items. [Downloads are available at the iTunes and Google Play stores.]

  • The Foodsafety.gov website offers food safety practices with additional breaking news information about the latest warnings and food product recalls.

  • Recipes for Disaster, a video series on food safety practices.

  
    USDA’s Food Waste Challenge also promotes better food storage practices to reduce food wastage and spoilage. It has helped farms, agricultural processors, food manufacturers, stores, restaurants, schools and local governments step up their efforts to prevent food waste. The challenge also improves connections between producers and retailers who might have excess food to donate to hunger relief programs.
  
  
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  Hundreds of millions of contaminated eggs were yanked from market shelves during a U.S. scare. (AP Images)