Unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year, with children under the age of five facing the highest risk, according to new estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The agency said young children account for nearly one-third of all foodborne disease cases despite making up only 9 per cent of the global population. Children under five are nearly three times more likely to suffer from foodborne illnesses than older children and adults.
WHO warned that diarrhoeal diseases caused by unsafe food remain a major cause of death among young children. Exposure to chemical contaminants such as lead, methylmercury, and arsenic can also lead to lifelong neurological and developmental damage.
According to the report, biological hazards, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, caused around 860 million foodborne illnesses in 2021. However, chemical contaminants were responsible for a disproportionately high number of deaths. WHO estimated that 73 per cent of fatalities linked to unsafe food were caused by chemical hazards.
Inorganic arsenic and lead accounted for most of these deaths due to their association with cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said unsafe food remains a major public health challenge affecting people around the world every day. He noted that the new estimates provide a clearer picture of the human and economic costs of foodborne diseases.
The agency estimated that foodborne illnesses resulted in about $310 billion in lost productivity in 2021. When adjusted for differences in living costs across countries, the economic burden rises to $647 billion.
While the overall burden of foodborne diseases has declined since 2000, significant regional disparities remain. Africa and South-East Asia together account for nearly three-quarters of all foodborne illnesses and 60 per cent of food-related deaths globally.
WHO technical officer and senior author Yuki Minato said climate change and antimicrobial resistance are making foodborne diseases harder to control. He warned that rising contamination risks and increasing resistance to treatment are worsening the problem.
The findings were released ahead of World Food Safety Day on June 7, which this year carries the theme, "From burden to solutions, safe food everywhere."