Unsafe food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or harmful chemical substances is estimated to cause 1.5 million deaths globally every year, disproportionately affecting children under the age of five, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated today.

“Food safety is not an abstract issue: it concerns every meal, every family, every day,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement released ahead of World Food Safety Day (Sunday, June 7).

According to WHO analysis, which assessed 42 food-related risks across 194 countries between 2000 and 2021, an estimated 866 million people fall ill each year from unsafe food, and 1.5 million die as a result.

Young Children at Highest Risk

Children under five are particularly vulnerable. The risk of contracting foodborne disease is nearly three times higher for this age group compared to older children and adults.

Although the global burden of foodborne diseases has declined since 2000, significant regional disparities remain, with Africa and Southeast Asia being the most affected regions.

These regions account for nearly three-quarters of all foodborne illness cases and around 60% of global deaths.

Main Causes of Illness and Death

Exposure to biological hazards—particularly bacteria and viruses in contaminated food—as well as parasites, accounted for the majority of foodborne illnesses (about 860 million cases in 2021).

Exposure to hazardous chemicals was responsible for a disproportionately high number of deaths.

Inorganic arsenic (42%) and lead (31%) were the leading chemical causes of food-related deaths in 2021, largely because exposure increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Climate Change and Antibiotic Resistance Worsen the Problem

“The data show that foodborne diseases not only persist, but are worsening due to climate change, which increases contamination risks, and antimicrobial resistance, which makes infections harder to treat,” said Yuki Minato, a WHO expert on food safety.

Massive Economic Impact

Beyond public health consequences, the UN agency estimates that foodborne diseases result in lost productivity amounting to $647 billion annually.

“Unsafe food has always been a major public health concern, but until now we did not have a full picture of its colossal human and economic cost. These new estimates change the game,” the WHO Director-General added.