ELZUBI to Al-Ghad Newspaper — “Food Safety”… Jordan Urged to Improve Epidemiological Surveys

ELZUBI told Al-Ghad that it is essential to enhance national WGS and PCR laboratories, expand digital traceability systems, launch household awareness campaigns, establish clear governance through mandates between the JFDA and municipalities, invest in cold-chain transport and irrigation water safety, and conduct a national economic assessment of the cost of foodborne diseases.

ELZUBI to ALRAEI: World Food Safety Day Highlights Strategic Importance for Jordan

ELZUBI noted that the latest WHO estimates indicate that around 600 million people suffer annually from foodborne diseases, causing about 420,000 deaths—30% of which are children under five. Economically, unsafe food leads to productivity losses and medical costs amounting to nearly $110 billion annually in low- and middle-income countries. In the Arab region, diarrheal diseases transmitted through food account for about 70% of the regional health burden, causing nearly 100 million cases annually. Jordan, however, ranks relatively advanced regionally thanks to its strong regulatory and legislative framework.

ELZUBI on Cairo News with Habiba Omar, River Choking

To what extent can river choking affect the food of millions? When we speak of rivers suffocating and the decline of dissolved oxygen levels in water, we are not merely addressing an environmental issue, but a direct threat to global food security. Hundreds of millions of people depend on rivers as a direct source of food and income. And when oxygen levels drop, fish and aquatic organisms begin to migrate or perish.