Annually Afghans lose their lives as a result of unsafe foods, health minister said.

Afghan public health minister, Feruzuddin Feruz who was speaking on the occasion of the World Health Day said that the government must establish an independent administration for medicine and food to resolve the problem of unsafe foods.

“As a result of unsafe foods most of Afghans are suffering with acute and chronic diseases, and a large number of Afghans are losing their lives which directly affect our economic,” Feruz said.

Iman Shancti World Health Organization (WHO) special envoy in Afghanistan emphasize that annually about 2 million children around the world suffers to death as a result of eating unsafe foods.

“We must recognize that food safety is not an issue that only the health sector should take care of, everyone including farmers, food industries, food traders and the consumers must work together to guarantee food safety,” she said.

Health minister also warned that soon he will blacklist 50 companies supplying pharmaceutical and medical products.

“More than 50 companies supplying pharmaceutical products will be included in the blacklist, more than 50 private health clinics will be downgraded and a number of private hospitals will be disqualified by seizing their work licenses.”

Earlier health officials announced that more than 80 percent of the private hospitals are not standard.

Poverty, no supervision and quality control over the exported foods and lack of food chain systems causes to harm food safety in the world.

Every year, WHO selects a priority area of global public health concern as the theme for World Health Day, which falls on 7 April, the birthday of the organization.

The theme of this year’s is Food Safety.

World Health Day 2015 on Food Safety is an opportunity to alert governments, manufacturers, retailers and the public to the importance of food safety – and the part each can play in ensuring that the food on people’ plates is safe to eat.

Reported by: Hameed Sediqy