Unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year, with young children bearing a disproportionately high share of the burden, according to a new report released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO said children under the age of five are nearly three times more likely to fall ill from contaminated food than older children and adults. Although they account for only 9 percent of the global population, children in this age group represent almost one-third of all foodborne disease cases.
According to the report, many of these illnesses and deaths could be prevented through improved access to clean water, better sanitation and hygiene practices, safer food handling procedures, and stronger healthcare systems.
“Food safety is not an abstract issue – it touches every meal, every family, every day,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The report found that biological hazards such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites are responsible for the majority of foodborne illnesses worldwide. However, chemical contamination accounts for a significantly higher proportion of deaths.
WHO estimates show that chemical hazards were linked to 73 percent of food-related deaths in 2021. Inorganic arsenic and lead alone were associated with more than one million deaths, largely due to their contribution to cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
The agency also highlighted the substantial economic cost of unsafe food. Foodborne diseases are estimated to have caused around US$ 310 billion in lost productivity globally in 2021. When adjusted for differences in purchasing power and cost of living, the economic impact rises to approximately US$ 647 billion.
The WHO called for stronger global efforts to improve food safety standards and reduce the health and economic burden caused by contaminated food.
