Food safety: 1 in 10 people worldwide fall ill from unsafe food each year
Food safety: 600 million sickened yearly—420,000 deaths from contaminated food
Three-year-old Fatima loved the street food her grandmother bought on the way home from school in Dhaka. The samosas were her favorite—crispy, warm, delicious. But this time, something was wrong with the food.
That evening, Fatima developed severe diarrhea and vomiting. Her fever spiked. By midnight, she was severely dehydrated, her small body limp. Her parents rushed her to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed severe bacterial food poisoning. Fatima survived after two days of intensive treatment with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. But her neighbor’s six-month-old son, who ate contaminated food from the same vendor, did not.
Fatima’s story repeats itself millions of times every day across the world. According to WHO’s work on food safety, around the world, an estimated 600 million—almost 1 in 10 people—fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths and the loss of 33 million healthy life years (DALYs).
Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. Access to enough safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health.
For more on related health topics, see our articles on foodborne diseases and nutrition at ObserverVoice.com.
The Hidden Burden
Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade. The burden of foodborne diseases to public health and to economies has often been underestimated due to underreporting and difficulty to establish causal relationships between food contamination and resulting illness or death.
Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125,000 deaths every year. WHO’s fact sheet on food safety provides comprehensive statistics.
The 2019 World Bank report on the economic burden of foodborne diseases indicated that US$ 110 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries. Unsafe or contaminated food leads to trade rejections, economic losses and food loss and waste, while safe food production improves economic opportunities by enabling market access and productivity.
Dr. Maria Santos, a pediatrician in Manila, sees the devastating impact daily: “Parents bring children with severe dehydration from diarrhea, bloodstream infections, sometimes seizures from high fevers. Many are preventable with proper food handling. But poverty, lack of refrigeration, contaminated water, poor hygiene—these create perfect conditions for foodborne illness.”
WHO’s activity on estimating the burden of foodborne diseases tracks the global impact. The Global Health Observatory Data on foodborne diseases provides detailed statistics.
For more on child health impacts, see our articles on diarrheal diseases and malnutrition at ObserverVoice.com.
The Pathogens That Make Us Sick
Food safety concerns involve multiple pathogens and contaminants. WHO provides fact sheets on major foodborne threats including Salmonella (non-typhoidal), E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeriosis, and Botulism.
Chemical contaminants also pose serious risks. WHO’s fact sheets cover Arsenic, Dioxins, Mycotoxins, and natural toxins in food.
WHO’s Q&A on food safety: pesticide residue and genetically modified food addresses common safety concerns. In June 2025, WHO and FAO launched the Indigenous Peoples’ questionnaire on pesticides.
WHO’s activity on assessing microbiological risks in food and assessing chemical risks in food evaluates these threats systematically.
Antimicrobial resistance in the food chain presents an emerging threat. For more on antimicrobial resistance, see WHO’s comprehensive resources.
The WHO Five Keys to Safer Food
WHO’s Five Keys to Safer Food provides simple, practical guidance that anyone can follow:
Keep clean. Wash hands before handling food, during preparation, and after using the toilet. Wash and sanitize all surfaces and equipment. Protect food from insects and pests.
Separate raw and cooked. Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood away from other foods. Use separate equipment and utensils for raw and cooked foods. Store food in containers to avoid contact.
Cook thoroughly. Cook food to proper temperatures, especially meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood. Bring soups and stews to a boil. Reheat cooked food thoroughly.
Keep food at safe temperatures. Don’t leave food at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Refrigerate promptly all cooked and perishable foods (below 5°C). Keep cooked food hot (above 60°C) until serving. Don’t store food too long even in the refrigerator.
Use safe water and raw materials. Use safe water or treat it. Select fresh and wholesome foods. Choose foods processed for safety, such as pasteurized milk. Wash fruits and vegetables. Don’t use food beyond expiry date.
WHO’s video Food safety: turning information into action – Webinar from June 2025 demonstrates implementation strategies. WHO also produced a webinar on ranking food safety risks at the national level in July 2024.
For more practical food safety tips, see our articles on kitchen hygiene at ObserverVoice.com.
World Food Safety Day and Global Coordination
Every June 7th, World Food Safety Day draws attention to preventing, detecting and managing foodborne risks. WHO’s 2025 theme launch video explains the year’s focus.
WHO created engaging infographics addressing common questions: Is a plant-based diet safer?, Is standing water safe to drink?, Are foods labelled as “organic” necessarily safe?, and Can I add lemon juice or vinegar to food to ensure it is safe to eat?.
WHO calls for the transformation of food systems to make food safe, healthy and sustainably produced for all. WHO provides scientific advice to develop international standards through the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius. The 48th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission met in November 2025, with spotlight on side events at the 47th session in February 2025.
WHO supports Member States through the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety (2022–2030), helps countries with the FAO/WHO food control system assessment tool, and coordinates emergency response through the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN).
WHO’s activities include strengthening national food control systems, strengthening foodborne disease surveillance, and monitoring progress towards global food safety targets.
Technical Support and Research
WHO convenes multiple expert groups including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), and Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR).
Recent publications include Evaluation of certain food additives: 100th report of JECFA in November 2025, Risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in foods in November 2025, and Pesticide residues in food: report 2024 in August 2025.
WHO maintains databases including FOSCOLLAB, Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS)/Food Contamination, Food additives database (JECFA), and Chemical Safety Information (INCHEM).
WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Food Safety and WHO Alliance for Food Safety coordinate global efforts. The Alliance held its annual general meeting in October 2025.
Global Resolutions and Commitments
The World Health Assembly adopted WHA73.5 on Strengthening efforts on food safety and WHA63.3 on Advancing food safety initiatives. The UN General Assembly declared World Food Safety Day in resolution A/RES/73/250.
WHO coordinates with broader initiatives including Food Systems for Health and the Codex Trust Fund.
Fatima recovered fully from her food poisoning. But her mother now follows WHO’s Five Keys religiously—washing hands, separating raw and cooked food, cooking thoroughly, refrigerating promptly, using safe water. “I almost lost my daughter,” she said. “Now I’m teaching other mothers in our neighborhood about safe food handling. It’s simple, but it saves lives.”
With WHO’s comprehensive approach to food safety, the 600 million people sickened and 420,000 deaths annually can be dramatically reduced—proving that safe food is not a luxury but a fundamental human right.
For more information, visit WHO’s food safety health topic page or explore related content at ObserverVoice.com.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
According to WHO’s work on food safety, around the world, an estimated 600 million—almost 1 in 10 people—fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths and the loss of 33 million healthy life years (DALYs). Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125,000 deaths every year. Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade. The 2019 World Bank report indicated that US$ 110 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries. WHO’s fact sheet on food safety provides comprehensive statistics. WHO’s activity on estimating the burden of foodborne diseases tracks global impact. The Global Health Observatory Data on foodborne diseases provides detailed statistics. Major pathogens include Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeriosis, and Botulism. See our articles on foodborne illness.
WHO’s Five Keys to Safer Food provide simple, practical guidance: (1) Keep clean – wash hands, sanitize surfaces, protect from pests; (2) Separate raw and cooked – keep raw meat/poultry/seafood away from other foods, use separate equipment; (3) Cook thoroughly – cook to proper temperatures especially meat/poultry/eggs/seafood, bring soups to boil, reheat thoroughly; (4) Keep food at safe temperatures – don’t leave at room temperature >2 hours, refrigerate promptly below 5°C, keep hot food above 60°C, don’t store too long; (5) Use safe water and raw materials – use safe water or treat it, select fresh wholesome foods, choose processed foods for safety like pasteurized milk, wash fruits/vegetables, don’t use food beyond expiry. WHO’s video Food safety: turning information into action demonstrates strategies. WHO produced webinar on ranking food safety risks. WHO created infographics on plant-based diet safety, standing water, organic food safety, and lemon juice/vinegar for food safety. See our articles on food safety tips.
Food safety concerns involve multiple bacterial, viral, parasitic and chemical threats. Bacterial pathogens include Salmonella (non-typhoidal), E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeriosis, and Botulism. Chemical contaminants include Arsenic, Dioxins, Mycotoxins, and natural toxins in food. WHO’s Q&A on pesticide residue and genetically modified food addresses safety concerns. WHO and FAO launched Indigenous Peoples’ questionnaire on pesticides June 2025. WHO’s activities on assessing microbiological risks and assessing chemical risks evaluate threats. Antimicrobial resistance in the food chain and foodborne trematode infections present additional challenges. For more on antimicrobial resistance, see WHO resources. See our articles on food contamination.
WHO provides global leadership through the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety (2022–2030), provides scientific advice to develop international standards through FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, supports countries with the FAO/WHO food control system assessment tool, and coordinates emergency response through International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN). WHO’s activities include strengthening national food control systems, strengthening foodborne disease surveillance, and monitoring progress towards global food safety targets. WHO convenes expert groups including Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), and Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). WHO’s Nutrition and Food Safety department coordinates work. WHO maintains FOSCOLLAB, GEMS/Food Contamination, and Food additives database. See our articles on food regulation.
The World Health Assembly adopted WHA73.5 on Strengthening efforts on food safety and WHA63.3 on Advancing food safety initiatives. The UN General Assembly declared World Food Safety Day (June 7) in resolution A/RES/73/250. World Food Safety Day 2025 raises awareness globally. The 48th session of Codex Alimentarius Commission met November 2025, with 47th session side events February 2025. WHO published Evaluation of food additives: 100th JECFA report November 2025, Risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes November 2025, and Pesticide residues in food 2024 August 2025. WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Food Safety and WHO Alliance for Food Safety coordinate efforts. The Alliance held annual meeting October 2025. WHO coordinates with Food Systems for Health and Codex Trust Fund. See our articles on global food policy.
- WHO Food Safety Health Topic
- WHO Fact Sheet: Food Safety
- WHO Five Keys to Safer Food
- World Food Safety Day 2025
- WHO Foodborne Diseases
- Global Health Observatory: Food Safety Data
- WHO Fact Sheet: Salmonella (non-typhoidal)
Disclaimer: This article is an adaptation of publicly available information from WHO’s Food safety
health topic page (WHO, Geneva. Licence: CC BYNC-SA 3.0 IGO). WHO is not responsible for the
content or accuracy of this adaptation. This content is for informational and educational purposes
only and does not constitute medical advice. ObserverVoice.com is a news and information platform
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