According to new estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO), children under the age of five are almost three times more likely to fall sick from unsafe food than older children and adults.
The Organization reached at this conclusion after studying data from 194 countries between 2000 and 2021, where it also found that around 886 million people suffer from illnesses and 1.5 million deaths are caused by unsafe food every year.
WHO suggests that many of these cases could be prevented through better access to clean water, improved sanitation and hygiene, safer food processing methods such as pasteurization, and better healthcare for vulnerable groups. While the overall burden of foodborne diseases has decreased since 2000, large differences remain between regions, with Africa and South-East Asia being the most affected. These two regions together account for nearly 75% of all foodborne illnesses and 60% of food-related deaths worldwide.
"Food safety is not an abstract issue - it touches every meal, every family, every day. Unsafe food has always been a major public health concern, but until now we lacked the bigger picture of its staggering human and economic toll. These new estimates change that." said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
"For the first time, countries have their own data to see where the burden is highest. With that knowledge, governments can prioritize the actions needed to protect people's health."
Most foodborne illnesses are caused by biological hazards such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which led to around 860 million cases in 2021. However, chemical contamination was responsible for a much larger share of deaths. In 2021, chemical hazards caused 73% of all deaths linked to contaminated food. The main culprits were inorganic arsenic (42%) and lead (31%), as long-term exposure to these substances can increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.
The impact goes beyond health. The study estimates that foodborne diseases resulted in about $310 billion in lost productivity in 2021, due to people missing work because of illness. When adjusted for differences in living costs across countries, the economic loss rises to $647 billion.
"A One Health approach - integrating human, animal, plant, and environmental health - is essential. Countries must act urgently, using these estimates to target interventions, invest in surveillance, and break down the silos between health, agriculture and environment sectors. Delay costs lives," suggested Yuki Minato, WHO technical officer for food safety and senior author of The Lancet Global Health paper.
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