Translated with AI
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published new data on the consequences of consuming unsafe food ahead of World Food Safety Day, celebrated on June 7. According to the organization's report, contaminated food causes approximately 866 million cases of illness and 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year.
Experts are particularly concerned about the situation of children under five. Although they make up only 9 percent of the world's population, this age group accounts for almost a third of all foodborne illnesses. According to the WHO, young children are almost three times more likely to suffer from food-related illnesses than older children and adults.
Diarrheal diseases pose a serious threat, sometimes leading to death. Furthermore, chemicals found in foods, including methylmercury and lead, can negatively impact a child's brain development, causing long-term neurological and cognitive impairment.
The WHO notes that a significant proportion of disease cases could be prevented by expanding access to clean water, improving sanitation and hygiene, adhering to food safety standards, including pasteurization, and providing health care to the most vulnerable groups of the population.
Most foodborne illnesses are caused by biological factors—bacteria, viruses, and parasites. In 2021, these factors accounted for approximately 860 million cases of illness. However, the greatest number of deaths are attributed to exposure to chemical contaminants.
The organization has presented for the first time estimates of the burden of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and intellectual disabilities caused by heavy metal exposure through food. Experts estimate that exposure to inorganic arsenic and lead is associated with more than one million deaths annually.
According to the WHO, chemicals accounted for 73 percent of all food-related deaths in 2021. The majority of these deaths were due to exposure to inorganic arsenic, which accounted for 42 percent of deaths, and lead, which accounted for 31 percent. These substances increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
In addition to the damage to public health, unsafe food causes significant economic losses. According to research, foodborne illnesses resulted in approximately $310 billion in lost productivity in 2021. Adjusted for cost-of-living differences between countries, this figure rises to $647 billion.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that food safety affects every person and every family every day. He noted that the new assessments, for the first time, allow countries to understand the scale of the problem and identify the most vulnerable areas for action.
The organization also notes the impact of changing dietary habits, environmental factors, globalization, and social inequality on risk levels. Children and residents of poor communities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, continue to bear the heaviest burden.
Although the overall burden of foodborne diseases has declined since 2000, significant regional disparities remain. Countries in Africa and Southeast Asia account for nearly three-quarters of all cases of such diseases and approximately 60 percent of related deaths.
WHO food safety specialist Yuki Minato called the report both an alarming signal and a call for action. She noted that the situation is further complicated by climate change, which increases the risk of food contamination, and by antimicrobial resistance, which makes treating infections more difficult.
The WHO emphasizes that inorganic arsenic, lead, and methylmercury enter the environment both naturally and through human activity. Once in the food chain, these substances are virtually impossible to remove, posing long-term risks to public health.
The organization therefore calls on governments to prevent food contamination at the earliest possible stage by improving agricultural practices, strengthening environmental regulations, and monitoring industrial emissions.
