WHO: Food Safety Facts
June 9th, 2019
Food Safety Facts
- An estimated 600 million people – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year.
- Children aged under 5 carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths every year.
- Foodborne illnesses are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances entering the body through contaminated food or water.
- Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade.
- The value of trade in food is US$ 1.6 trillion, which is approximately 10% of total annual trade globally.
- Recent estimates indicate that the impact of unsafe food costs low- and middle-income economies around US$ 95 billion in lost productivity each year.
- Improving hygiene practices in the food and agricultural sectors helps to reduce the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance along the food chain and in the environment.