June 2026 – New insights released by the World Health Organization (WHO) ahead of World Food Safety Day reveal the staggering human and economic toll of unsafe food, with children under five bearing the greatest burden. Although they represent just nine percent of the global population, they suffer nearly one-third of all foodborne diseases, many of them severe diarrhoeal illnesses that can prove fatal.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that food safety is not an abstract issue but one that affects every family daily. The latest study found that foodborne bacteria, viruses, and parasites caused around 860 million cases in 2021, while chemical contamination was responsible for most deaths linked to unsafe food.
According to WHO, chemical hazards accounted for 73 percent of deaths from contaminated food in 2021. Inorganic arsenic and lead were the leading contributors, linked to more than one million deaths in a single year due to their long-term effects on heart disease and cancers. Once chemicals such as arsenic, lead, or methylmercury enter the food chain, they are nearly impossible to remove, making prevention critical.
The burden of foodborne disease is not evenly shared. Africa and Southeast Asia account for nearly three-quarters of all illnesses and 60 percent of global deaths. Vulnerable groups, especially children and low-resource communities, face the greatest risks due to inequalities in food systems, healthcare, and sanitation.
Beyond health, unsafe food carries a heavy economic cost. WHO estimates that foodborne diseases led to $310 billion in lost productivity in 2021, with adjusted global losses rising to $647 billion when accounting for differences in living costs.
WHO technical officer Yuki Minato, senior author of the study published in The Lancet Global Health, described the findings as both a wake-up call and a roadmap. Foodborne diseases are being worsened by climate change, which increases contamination risks, and antimicrobial resistance, which makes infections harder to treat. WHO stressed that tackling these threats requires cooperation across health, agriculture, and environmental sectors.
The report underscores the urgent need for countries to strengthen surveillance, target interventions, and improve cross-sector collaboration. As World Food Safety Day approaches, the findings highlight that food safety is central to protecting health, ensuring economic stability, and building resilient communities.
