HARARE, March 6. /TASS/. The African Union has approved the statute of the African Food Security Agency, its establishment will allow the continent's states to provide their populations with safe and healthy food, according to a communique published on the official website of the African Union.
"The African Union has taken a historic step towards enhancing food safety across the continent with the adoption of the statute for the establishment of the Africa Food Safety Agency.
The soon to be established Africa Food Safety Agency will serve as a Specialized Technical Institution of the Africa Union, dedicated to coordinating and harmonizing food safety policies, regulations, and risk assessment frameworks across Member States," the document says.
According to the African Union, which cites statistics from the World Health Organization, Africa bears a disproportionate burden of foodborne illnesses, which affects 91 million people and results in 137,000 deaths annually, accounting for a third of all deaths worldwide.
"The economic toll of unsafe food is equally staggering, with the World Bank estimating losses of $110 billion annually in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia due to lost productivity and medical costs," the document says.