WHO Warns Unsafe Food Causes 1.5 Million Deaths Annually
Key Developments:
- The World Health Organization estimates unsafe food causes 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths each year worldwide.
- Children under five account for nearly one-third of all foodborne disease cases despite making up only 9% of the global population.
- Chemical contaminants, particularly inorganic arsenic and lead, were linked to the majority of food-related deaths recorded in the latest assessment.
GENEVA (World Health Organization/WHO) — June 5, 2026: The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that unsafe food remains a major global public health challenge, causing an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths annually, with young children facing the highest risks.
According to new WHO estimates released ahead of World Food Safety Day, children under the age of five are disproportionately affected by contaminated food. Although they account for only a small share of the world’s population, they suffer nearly one-third of all foodborne disease cases, particularly diarrhoeal illnesses that can be life-threatening.
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The report highlights that biological hazards, including bacteria, viruses and parasites, remain the leading cause of foodborne illnesses. However, chemical contaminants account for a disproportionate share of fatalities. WHO estimates show that chemical hazards were responsible for 73 percent of deaths linked to contaminated food in 2021, with inorganic arsenic and lead emerging as the most significant contributors.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Food safety is not an abstract issue – it touches every meal, every family, every day.”
He added: “Unsafe food has always been a major public health concern, but until now we lacked the bigger picture of its staggering human and economic toll. These new estimates change that.”
The findings indicate that contaminated food not only affects public health but also carries a substantial economic cost. WHO estimates that foodborne diseases resulted in approximately $310 billion in lost productivity in a single year due to illness-related absences from work. When adjusted for cost-of-living differences across countries, the economic impact rises to an estimated $647 billion.
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The new assessment examined 42 major foodborne hazards across 194 countries over a period spanning more than two decades. For the first time, the analysis includes additional threats such as metals, rotavirus and Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease.
Health experts warned that exposure to lead, inorganic arsenic and methylmercury can have severe long-term consequences, particularly for children. These substances have been linked to cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, intellectual disability and developmental disorders.
WHO Technical Officer for Food Safety Yuki Minato described the report as “a wake up call – but also a roadmap.”
Minato said: “The data show that foodborne diseases are not only persistent but are being made worse by climate change, which increases contamination risks, and by antimicrobial resistance, which makes infections harder to treat.”
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The report also underscores significant regional disparities. According to WHO, Africa and South-East Asia continue to bear the highest burden of foodborne illnesses and deaths, together accounting for nearly three-quarters of global cases.
WHO is urging governments to strengthen food safety regulations, improve surveillance systems, invest in safer agricultural practices and adopt a coordinated “One Health” approach that links human, animal, plant and environmental health.
The organization says the updated estimates provide governments with country-specific data that can help identify priority areas, direct resources more effectively and reduce the burden of preventable foodborne diseases.
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