Animal Health and Food Security in Saudi Arabia

While the human population keeps growing, our community has a tremendous challenge to provide enough, safeSafe, and wholesome food for everyone, including foods of animal origin. Food security and food safetyFood safety are closely linked. Unsafe food contributes to a vicious cycle of illness and hunger that mainly affects young children, the elderly and the sick. On the other hand, a secure food supplyFood supply promotes national economies, trade, tourism and sustainable developmentSustainable Development. Thus, it is essential to have access to enough quantities of safe and nourishing food to sustain life and advance good health in our communities. Generally, food safetyFood safety is affected by different factors such as an expanding global populationPopulation, climate changeClimate change, and animals diseasesDisease. With every meal we consume, we run the risk of contracting a sickness from either microbial or chemical contamination. More than 200 different diseases can be brought on by contaminated foods, which contain dangerous viruses, bacteria, parasites, or chemical substances. Public anxieties over food safetyFood safety are elevated during outbreaks of any diseaseDisease in animals used for food production. If any tissues from an infected animal, including meatMeat or milkMilk, are permitted to enter the food chain, they become a potential source of human infection. On the other hand, animal diseasesAnimal disease also affect food availabilityFood availability due to animal deathDeath. Veterinary Practices, as well as Husbandry PracticesPractices, can play critical roles along the food chain (from farm to human consumption) to enhance the safety, availabilityAvailability, and accessibilityAccessibility of food of animal origin. These practices principally contribute to animal healthAnimal health and welfare.