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Singapore\u2019s food resilience depends on sourcing food from more than 180 countries and regions worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n Geographic source diversification is one of our great strengths to deal with threats like plant and animal diseases, extreme weather, war or export restrictions. If supplies from one country are disrupted, importers can turn elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n But diversification creates the challenge of assuring the safety of food originating from sources that have different farming systems, climates, regulations and food-safety cultures.<\/span><\/p>\n A vegetable may pass from farm to collector, packing house, wholesaler, transporter, exporter, importer and retailer before reaching our kitchens. At every stage of the supply chain, something can go wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n The risks include bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, viruses and parasites, pesticide residues, undeclared allergens, toxins and deliberate adulteration. The World Health Organization estimates that annually, around 866 million people worldwide become ill from contaminated food, with about 1.52 million deaths.<\/span><\/p>\n Even countries with sophisticated food-control systems are not exempt. In the United States this year, authorities have investigated E. coli associated with frozen blueberries and raw cheddar cheese, salmonella associated with eggs and jalapeno peppers, and <\/span>cyclospora<\/span> associated with iceberg lettuce.<\/span><\/p>\n