World Food Safety Day 2026 highlights One Health solutions for safer food

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization(WHO), the Mekong Institute (MI), the Institute of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development (IEHSD), Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF), and partners are celebrating the World Food Safety Day 2026 through a communication initiative promoting practical solutions for safer food systems in Viet Nam.

Under the theme “From burden to solutions - safe food everywhere,” the initiative brings together government authorities, researchers, businesses, local communities and students to promote the One Health approach and demonstrate actions that can reduce food safety risks.

With the theme “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere,” the communication campaign aims to promote the One Health approach and introduce practical initiatives that can help reduce food safety risks in Vietnam.

According to Dr. Nguyen Viet Hung, Regional Representative for Asia of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), progress in food safety can only be achieved when research, policy, and communities work together.

“Research helps identify food safety risks and the most effective interventions, but sustainable impact requires partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaboration. This campaign creates opportunities for stakeholders to share knowledge, strengthen coordination, and translate scientific evidence into practical solutions,” Nguyen Viet Hung emphasized.

Vietnam needs to continue strengthening good hygiene practices as well as safe food processing and storage, raising consumer awareness, expanding the application of food traceability technologies, generating more scientific evidence through research, and promoting more effective policies.

The campaign activities implemented in Thai Nguyen Province serve as a pilot model for a One Health field platform, where partners enhance cooperation among the health, veterinary, and environmental sectors.

These efforts also contribute to advancing the One Health approach promoted through the Vietnam One Health Partnership (OHP), in which ILRI currently co-chairs the Food Safety Technical Working Group.

As part of the campaign, the Food Safety for Agrifood Systems Forum 2026 is bringing together authorities, researchers, universities, development partners, businesses, and communities to discuss emerging food safety risks and practical solutions. Discussions highlight policy and technical perspectives on food safety governance and emerging risks, showcase practical solutions and innovations, and emphasize the importance of translating knowledge and evidence into scalable actions.

At the community level, students, food safety experts, market vendors and consumers gather at Dong Quang Market in Thai Nguyen City for food safety demonstrations. Around 200 students from Thai Nguyen also participated in a poster and video competition, with winning teams presenting their ideas during the forum. "Universities play an important role in developing future leaders," said Phan Thi Hong Phuc, Vice Rector of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF).

"By engaging students in research and community activities, we are helping build a generation that can contribute solutions for safer food systems." Earlier activities engaged nearly 400 students from RMIT University in a food safety communication challenge, demonstrating how young people can help translate technical food safety messages into engaging, creative content for wider audiences. The initiative was made possible with support from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Republic of Korea, and the CGIAR Science Program on Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF).

As a resident of Phan Dinh Phung Ward, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa said that when buying fresh food for family meals, she no longer makes choices based on habit or appearance as before, but instead prioritizes products with clear origins, proper quarantine certification, and guaranteed hygiene standards.

According to Ms. Hoa, food safety is no longer solely the responsibility of authorities or business operators, but begins with the purchasing decisions made by each family.

“It may take more time to choose, and the prices can be a little higher, but in return we gain peace of mind for the whole family’s health,” Ms. Hoa shared.

The stories of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa, from opposite sides of the market stall and shopping basket, reflect a noticeable shift in public awareness regarding food safety.

When sellers no longer focus only on selling products but pay greater attention to origin traceability, quarantine procedures, and community responsibility; and when buyers no longer readily accept products based merely on appearance but instead demand higher standards of quality and transparency, this is also a sign that a culture of safe consumption is gradually taking shape.