Today, as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigates two new outbreaks of foodborne illness, the World Health Organization (WHO) released global data estimating the annual number of illnesses and deaths tied to unsafe food at 866 million and 1.5 million, respectively.
The WHO report, published in The Lancet Global Health, also found that, despite children younger than 5 years making up only 9% of the population, this age-group represents nearly one third of all cases of foodborne illness—especially deadly diarrheal diseases.
The analysis assessed 42 major foodborne dangers, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemicals, in 194 countries from 2000 to 2021. For the first time, it also included contamination from metals, rotavirus, and Trypanosoma cruzi (the parasite that carries Chagas disease).
Contamination cost $310 billion in lost productivity in 2021
Most of the roughly 860 million foodborne illnesses recorded in 2021 originated from biological hazards such as non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica, which causes diarrheal illness. That year, however, chemical-contaminated food contributed to an outsized proportion of deaths (73%), with most traced to inorganic arsenic (42%) and lead (31%). The chemicals, which can cause heart disease and cancers, contaminate foods naturally or through human activities.
“Once these substances have entered the food chain, they are often difficult or impossible to remove,” the agency said in a news release. “WHO calls on governments to prevent contamination at the source—through better agricultural practices, stricter industrial controls and stronger environmental regulations.”
Metal contamination of foods has been declining, but the WHO said that these estimates show for the first time the burden of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and intellectual disability resulting from these exposures. Inorganic arsenic and lead are tied to more than 1 million deaths a year.
WHO calls on governments to prevent contamination at the source—through better agricultural practices, stricter industrial controls and stronger environmental regulations.
“In addition, exposure to chemical hazards such as methylmercury and lead in food can harm the developing brain and cause lifelong neurological and developmental problems in children,” the WHO said.
Also in 2021, foodborne diseases caused 57.1 million disability-adjusted life years, costing about $310 billion in lost productivity and rising to $647 billion when adjusted for cost-of-living differences between countries.
‘Delay costs lives’
Many cases of foodborne illness could be prevented by cleaner water, improved sanitation and hygiene practices (eg, pasteurization), and better access to healthcare in low-resource areas.
“Although the total foodborne disease burden has declined since 2000, major regional inequalities persist, with the greatest burden in Africa and South-East Asia,” the WHO said. The African and South-East Asian regions together experience nearly three quarters of global foodborne illnesses and 60% of deaths.
