Unsafe food kills 1.5 million people each year, says WHO
Food can be contaminated with chemicals such as inorganic arsenic, lead and methylmercury from natural sources and human activities
Food can be contaminated with chemicals such as inorganic arsenic, lead and methylmercury from natural sources and human activities
Food can be contaminated with chemicals such as inorganic arsenic, lead and methylmercury from natural sources and human activities
• Unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths every year worldwide, highlighting the often-overlooked toll of contaminated food on health, development and fragile economies, according to new data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• Many of it could be prevented with measures including improved water, sanitation and hygiene, food safety practices such as pasteurization and access to healthcare for vulnerable populations.
• Although the total foodborne disease burden has declined since 2000, major regional inequalities persist, with the greatest burden in Africa and South-East Asia.
• Children aged less than five years face almost three times the risk of illness from unsafe food than older children and adults, according to new estimates.
• Despite being just 9 per cent of the global population, young children suffer from nearly one third of all cases of foodborne diseases, particularly diarrhoeal diseases which can be deadly for this vulnerable age group.
• In addition, exposure to chemical hazards such as methylmercury and lead in food can harm the developing brain and cause lifelong neurological and developmental problems in children.
• Food can be contaminated with chemicals such as inorganic arsenic, lead and methylmercury from natural sources and human activities.
• Once these substances have entered the food chain, they are often difficult or impossible to remove.
• Evolving diets, environmental pressures, globalisation and inequalities in food systems continue to shape who is most exposed to unsafe food.
• Children and people living in low-resource communities experience the greatest health burden, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
• The African and South-East Asian regions together account for nearly three-quarters of all foodborne illnesses and 60 per cent of global deaths.
• Exposure to biological hazards, including foodborne bacteria and viruses as well as parasitic infections, caused the majority of foodborne illnesses (approximately 860 million in 2021), while chemical exposures drove a disproportionate share of deaths.
• In 2021, chemical hazards accounted for a striking 73 per cent of deaths due to contaminated food.
• Most of these chemical-related deaths were linked to inorganic arsenic (42 per cent) and lead (31 per cent), largely because these exposures increase the risk of heart disease and cancers.
• While the presence of some metals in food has been decreasing over time, these estimates reveal for the first time the burden of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and intellectual disability resulting from dietary exposure to metals.
• Beyond health impacts, the study estimates that in 2021 foodborne diseases led to about $310 billion in lost productivity (time away from work due to illness).
• When the economic impact was adjusted for cost-of-living differences between countries, the estimate increased to $647 billion in lost productivity.
• WHO calls on governments to prevent contamination at the source — through better agricultural practices, stricter industrial controls and stronger environmental regulations.