Unsafe food kills 1.5 million people each year; children most at risk: WHO

June 4 (Daily Mirror) - Unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths worldwide every year, with young children bearing a disproportionate share of the burden, according to new estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The global health body said children under the age of five are nearly three times more likely to fall ill from unsafe food than older children and adults. Although they account for just 9 per cent of the world's population, young children suffer almost one-third of all foodborne disease cases, particularly diarrhoeal illnesses, which can be fatal for this vulnerable age group.

The WHO noted that exposure to chemical contaminants in food, including methylmercury and lead, can also seriously affect children's developing brains, leading to lifelong neurological and developmental disorders.

According to the report, foodborne diseases continue to pose a major public health challenge despite progress made since 2000. While the overall global burden of foodborne illness has declined, significant regional disparities remain, with the highest burden recorded in Africa and South-East Asia.

The majority of foodborne illnesses in 2021 were linked to biological hazards such as bacteria, viruses and parasites, which caused approximately 860 million cases worldwide. However, chemical contaminants accounted for a disproportionately high number of deaths.

The WHO estimates that chemical hazards were responsible for 73 per cent of all deaths associated with contaminated food in 2021. Inorganic arsenic accounted for 42 per cent of these deaths, while lead contributed 31 per cent, largely due to their links to cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Beyond the health consequences, foodborne diseases also impose a heavy economic burden. The study estimates that illness caused by unsafe food resulted in approximately US$310 billion in lost productivity in 2021 due to time away from work. When adjusted for differences in living costs across countries, the economic loss rises to an estimated US$647 billion.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the new findings provide a clearer picture of the global impact 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,” he said.

He added that, for the first time, countries now have access to detailed national data that can help governments identify areas with the highest burden of foodborne diseases and prioritize measures needed to better protect public health.

The WHO said many foodborne illnesses and deaths could be prevented through improved access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, safer food handling practices such as pasteurization, and better healthcare services for vulnerable populations.