Foodborne disease control: a transnational challenge.

In the globalized political economy of the late 20th century, increasing social, political, and economic interdependence is occurring as a result of the rapid movement of people, images, values, and financial transactions across national borders. Another consequence of the increase in transnational trade, travel, and migration is the greater risk of cross-border transmission of infectious diseases. As the world becomes more interconnected, diseases spread more rapidly and effectively. With more than one million people crossing international borders every day, and with the globalization of food production, manufacturing, and marketing, the risk of infectious disease transmission is greater. Economic globalization has also increased the need for governmental budget austerity, and consequent national preparedness has been eroded. The emergence of new infectious diseases, as well as the reemergence of old ones, thus represents a crucial transnational policy issue. These problems cannot be resolved by national governments alone; they require international cooperation. This article analyzes the role of foodborne disease surveillance programs, nationally and internationally, in the control of foodborne diseases

Food safety and the behavioural sciences

International health programmes have been a major stimulus to the development of several specialties collectively known as medical behavioural science. Each new programme of the international and national agencies has led to an expansion of the areas of behavioural scientists in health research. This may also be expected from WHO's Food Safety Programme; its activities, and the findings contained in the report of a recently held meeting of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Safety, are bringing to light the need for, and the opportunities in, behavioural science research on food safety. Although significant behavioural research has been done in nutrition and the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases, almost no attention has been paid to the ways in which food is rendered unsafe for human consumption or to the ways in which food safety can be increased. Suggestions are made as to the kinds of research needed, the data that must be gathered, and the ways in which, especially through health education, this information can be made operational.