Each year, World Food Safety Day reminds us that safe food is a basic human right. But how can people protect themselves from harmful substances if the data that identifies them is locked away?

We call on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to immediately release a downloadable, searchable, and free version of their food safety database — including food additives, contaminants, veterinary drugs, and toxicants evaluated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

Right now, the JECFA database is only accessible one item at a time — through a search portal that makes it nearly impossible for the public, small NGOs, schools, or consumer watchdog groups to scan for harmful substances or analyze patterns. This blocks awareness, prevents transparency, and puts lives at risk — especially in low-resource countries.

We believe public health data must be truly public.

We are calling for:

A downloadable version of the JECFA database (in formats like Excel, CSV, or JSON)
Regular public updates with new evaluations and safety limits
Open access for consumer groups, educators, researchers, and the public — not just regulatory agencies or industry
Public datasets on flagged or high-risk substances in food systems
A commitment from WHO and FAO to make transparency and access central to their food safety strategy
If the FAO and WHO are serious about protecting public health, especially for vulnerable consumers, they must stop treating food safety data like a privilege — and start treating it like the life-saving public good that it is.

Let’s make World Food Safety Day more than a slogan. Let’s make it a shift toward real consumer empowerment.