Food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals kills 1.5 million people globally each year, with young children bearing the greatest burden, the World Health Organization warned Thursday.
The UN health agency said its analysis of 194 countries between 2000 and 2021 showed 886 million people contract illnesses annually from unsafe food, with children under five nearly three times more likely to be affected.
“Food safety is not an abstract issue — it touches every meal, every family, every day,” WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Although overall cases have declined since 2000, stark regional disparities persist. Africa and Southeast Asia account for nearly three‑quarters of food‑related illnesses and 60 per cent of deaths worldwide.
Biological hazards such as bacteria and viruses caused the overwhelming majority of cases — about 860 million in 2021 — while chemical contamination, notably arsenic and lead, was responsible for a disproportionate share of fatalities.
“Food‑borne diseases are not only persistent but are being worsened by climate change, which heightens contamination risks, and by antimicrobial resistance, which makes infections harder to treat,” said Yuki Minato, WHO technical officer for food safety.
Beyond health, the WHO estimated food‑borne diseases cost the global economy $647 billion in lost productivity in 2021.
