2. Each year millions of people become ill and thousands die from a preventable
foodborne disease. Proper food preparation can prevent many foodborne
diseases. As part of its global strategy to decrease the burden of foodborne
diseases, WHO identified the need to communicate a simple global health
message, rooted in scientific evidence, to educate all types of food handlers,
including ordinary consumers. The Five Keys to Safer Food message is a global
health message which explains the basic principles thateach individual should
know all over the world to ensure safe food handling practices and prevent
foodborne diseases. The Five Keys to Safer Food, and associated training
materials, were developed to provide countries with materials that are easy to
use, reproduce and adapt to different target audiences.
Translated into 84 languages, mainly on initiative from countries, the Five Keys to
Safer Food message serve as the basis for health promotion campaigns and
educational programmes in over 100 countries and are used to train food
handlers in restaurants, canteens, street and market places, small processing
businesses, hospitals, health care centres, schools, home. Recognized as an
international reference source, the Five Keys to Safer Food message is also
extensively used in emergency situations to prevent and control diseases
outbreaks (e.g. cholera).