WHO raises alarm as unsafe food kills 1.5 million people yearly

– Says young children worst affected

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths every year, with children under the age of five bearing a disproportionately high share of the burden.

According to new WHO estimates, young children are nearly three times more likely to fall ill from unsafe food than older children and adults. Although they make up only nine per cent of the world’s population, they account for almost one-third of all foodborne disease cases, particularly diarrhoeal diseases, which remain a leading cause of illness and death among this vulnerable group.

The organisation also warned that exposure to chemical contaminants such as methylmercury and lead through food can damage the developing brain, leading to lifelong neurological and developmental disorders in children.

WHO said many of the illnesses and deaths linked to contaminated food could be prevented through improved access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, better food safety practices including pasteurisation, and stronger healthcare services for vulnerable populations.

Although the global burden of foodborne diseases has declined since 2000, significant disparities remain. The greatest burden continues to fall on countries in Africa and South-East Asia.

The report found that biological hazards, including bacteria, viruses and parasites, were responsible for the overwhelming majority of foodborne illnesses, causing about 860 million cases in 2021. However, chemical contaminants accounted for a disproportionately high number of deaths.

In 2021, chemical hazards were responsible for seventy-three per cent of deaths associated with contaminated food. Most of these deaths were linked to inorganic arsenic, which accounted for forty-two per cent, and lead, responsible for thirty-one per cent, largely because prolonged exposure increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Beyond its impact on health, unsafe food also carries a heavy economic cost. WHO estimated that foodborne diseases resulted in productivity losses of approximately US$310 billion in 2021 through time lost from work due to illness. When adjusted for differences in the cost of living across countries, the estimated productivity loss rose to US$647 billion.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the findings as providing the clearest picture yet of the global consequences of unsafe food.

“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.

“For the first time, countries have their own data to see where the burden is highest. With that knowledge, governments can prioritise the actions needed to protect people’s health,” he said.

The new assessment expands WHO’s evidence base by examining forty-two major foodborne hazards, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemicals, across 194 countries between 2000 and 2021. It also incorporates hazards not previously included in global estimates, such as metals, rotavirus and Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease.

WHO noted that foods may become contaminated with chemicals including inorganic arsenic, lead and methylmercury through both natural processes and human activities. Once these contaminants enter the food chain, they are often difficult or impossible to eliminate.

The organisation therefore called on governments to prevent contamination at its source through improved agricultural practices, stricter industrial controls and stronger environmental regulations.

Although concentrations of some metals in food have declined over time, the report provides the first comprehensive estimates of the burden of cardiovascular disease, cancer and intellectual disability resulting from long-term dietary exposure to these substances.

WHO estimated that inorganic arsenic and lead together are linked to more than one million deaths annually, while methylmercury continues to pose a serious threat to children’s brain development.

The report also highlights persistent inequalities in exposure to unsafe food. Changing diets, environmental pressures, globalisation and weaknesses within food systems continue to influence who is most at risk.

Children and people living in low-resource settings, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, experience the greatest health burden. Together, Africa and South-East Asia account for almost three-quarters of all foodborne illnesses and about sixty per cent of global deaths.

Senior author of the study and WHO Technical Officer for Food Safety, Yuki Minato, described the report as both a warning and a guide for action.

“The data show that foodborne diseases are not only persistent but are being made worse by climate change, which increases contamination risks, and by antimicrobial resistance, which makes infections harder to treat. We cannot tackle these threats alone.

“A One Health approach, integrating human, animal, plant and environmental health, is essential. Countries must act urgently by using these estimates to target interventions, invest in surveillance and strengthen collaboration across the health, agriculture and environmental sectors. Delay costs lives,” Minato said.