Key Facts
- Food safety, nutrition, and food security are interconnected pillars of public health.
- Globally, approximately 600 million individuals, nearly 1 in 10, suffer from foodborne illnesses annually after consuming contaminated food, leading to 420,000 preventable deaths each year. Stay informed with the latest Food Safety News to protect yourself and your family.
- Low- and middle-income countries face substantial economic losses, estimated at US$ 110 billion each year, due to reduced productivity and healthcare costs associated with unsafe food. Follow food safety news for updates on global economic impacts.
- Children under the age of 5 are disproportionately affected, bearing 40% of the foodborne disease burden, resulting in 125,000 deaths annually. Food safety news emphasizes protecting vulnerable populations.
- Foodborne diseases significantly hinder socioeconomic progress by overburdening healthcare systems and negatively impacting national economies, tourism, and international trade. Keep up with food safety news to understand the broader implications.
- Ensuring food safety is a shared responsibility requiring collaborative efforts from various national authorities and a comprehensive, multisectoral “One Health” approach. Reliable food safety news sources highlight collaborative solutions.
Overview
Access to a consistent supply of safe and nutritious food is fundamental for maintaining life and promoting overall well-being. Unsafe food, contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances, is the source of over 200 distinct diseases, ranging in severity from diarrheal illnesses to various forms of cancer. This contamination initiates a harmful cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly impacting vulnerable groups such as infants, young children, the elderly, and those already ill. For the latest updates and insights, rely on comprehensive food safety news coverage. Effective collaboration among governments, food producers, and consumers is essential to strengthen food systems and guarantee food safety for everyone.
Major Foodborne Illnesses and Causes
Foodborne illnesses typically arise from infections or toxic conditions caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical contaminants entering the body through the consumption of tainted food. Chemical contamination can lead to immediate poisoning or contribute to the development of chronic diseases over time, including cancer. Many foodborne illnesses can result in long-term disabilities and even death. Staying informed through food safety news can help you understand these risks and take preventative measures. Below are examples of significant food hazards:
Bacteria
Salmonella, Campylobacter, and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli are among the most prevalent foodborne pathogens, affecting millions globally each year, sometimes with serious and fatal consequences. Symptoms can manifest as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Food safety news often reports on outbreaks linked to these bacteria. Foods commonly implicated in salmonellosis outbreaks include eggs, poultry, and other animal-derived products. Campylobacter infections are frequently linked to raw milk, raw or undercooked poultry, and contaminated drinking water. Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli is often associated with unpasteurized milk, undercooked meat, and contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables.
Listeria infections, while less frequent, can have severe repercussions, including miscarriage in pregnant women and life-threatening infections in newborns. Due to its potential for severe and sometimes fatal health outcomes, particularly among infants, children, and the elderly, Listeria is considered one of the most serious foodborne infections. Food safety news frequently covers Listeria risks, especially in ready-to-eat foods. Listeria is commonly found in unpasteurized dairy products and various ready-to-eat foods and uniquely can proliferate even at refrigeration temperatures.
Vibrio cholerae can cause infection through contaminated water or food sources. Symptoms can range from abdominal pain and vomiting to severe watery diarrhea, which can rapidly lead to dehydration and potential death. Raw vegetables and various types of raw or undercooked seafood are often implicated in cholera outbreaks. Food safety news provides critical updates during cholera outbreaks.
Antimicrobials, including antibiotics, are crucial for treating bacterial infections, including those caused by foodborne pathogens. However, the increasing overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in both veterinary and human medicine has contributed to the rise and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This resistance undermines the effectiveness of treatments for infectious diseases in both animals and humans, a growing concern highlighted in food safety news.
Viruses
Certain viruses can be transmitted through food consumption. Norovirus is a leading cause of foodborne infections, characterized by symptoms such as nausea, projectile vomiting, watery diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Food safety news often reports on norovirus outbreaks, particularly in communal settings. Hepatitis A virus is another foodborne virus that can cause prolonged liver disease and typically spreads through raw or undercooked seafood or contaminated raw produce.
Parasites
Some parasites, such as fish-borne trematodes, are exclusively transmitted through food. Others, like tapeworms such as Echinococcus spp or Taenia spp, can infect humans through food or direct contact with animals. Food safety news includes information on parasitic risks in food. Other parasites, including Ascaris, Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba histolytica, or Giardia, can enter the food chain via contaminated water or soil and subsequently contaminate fresh produce.
Prions
Prions, infectious agents composed of protein, are unique due to their association with specific neurodegenerative diseases. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow disease,” is a prion disease in cattle, linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans. The primary route of prion transmission to humans is through consuming meat products containing specified risk materials, such as brain tissue. Food safety news monitors prion-related risks in the food supply.
Chemicals
Chemical hazards in food are a significant concern, particularly naturally occurring toxins and environmental pollutants. Staying updated with food safety news is crucial for understanding these threats.
- Naturally occurring toxins include mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, cyanogenic glycosides, and toxins found in poisonous mushrooms. Staple foods like corn and cereals are susceptible to contamination with high levels of mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin and ochratoxin, produced by molds on grains. Long-term exposure can lead to immune system damage, developmental issues, and cancer.
- Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are compounds that accumulate in the environment and within the human body. Examples include dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are unintended byproducts of industrial processes and waste incineration. These pollutants are widespread in the environment and accumulate in animal food chains. Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, immune system damage, hormonal disruption, and cancer.
- Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury can cause neurological and kidney damage. Food contamination by heavy metals primarily occurs through polluted water and soil.
Other chemical hazards in food include radioactive nucleotides from industrial and nuclear operations, food allergens, drug residues, and other contaminants introduced during food processing. Food safety news covers a wide range of chemical contaminants and their impacts.
The Burden of Foodborne Diseases
The impact of foodborne diseases on public health and economies is often underestimated because of underreporting and the challenges in establishing direct links between food contamination and resulting illnesses or fatalities. Food safety news aims to bring these issues to light.
The 2015 WHO report on the global burden of foodborne diseases provided the first comprehensive estimates of disease burden caused by 31 foodborne agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, and chemicals) at global and regional levels. The report highlighted that over 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses and 420,000 deaths occur annually. Vulnerable populations, particularly children under 5, bear a disproportionate burden, with the highest impact in low- and middle-income countries, as regularly reported in food safety news.
The 2019 World Bank report on the economic burden of foodborne diseases estimated the total productivity loss associated with foodborne disease in low- and middle-income countries at US$ 95.2 billion per year, with an additional US$ 15 billion in annual costs for treating these illnesses. Economic impacts are a key focus of food safety news.
The Evolving World and Food Safety
Safe food supplies are critical for health, contributing to both food and nutrition security, supporting national economies, trade, and tourism, and underpinning sustainable development. Food safety news emphasizes the importance of safe food for global sustainability.
Urbanization and evolving consumer habits have increased the proportion of people who purchase and consume food prepared in public settings. Globalization has driven consumer demand for a broader variety of foods, resulting in increasingly complex and extended global food chains. Food safety news tracks the challenges of global food supply chains.
Climate change is projected to significantly impact food safety, likely increasing the risks from both existing and emerging foodborne diseases. This increase is driven by more frequent extreme weather events, rising air and water temperatures, and changes in precipitation patterns. Food safety news increasingly covers the impact of climate change on food safety.
These evolving challenges place greater responsibility on food producers and handlers to ensure food safety at every stage. Local incidents can rapidly escalate into international emergencies due to the speed and scale of product distribution. Staying informed with food safety news is crucial in this rapidly changing landscape.
A Public Health Priority – From Farm to Fork
Governments must prioritize food safety as a critical public health issue. They play a vital role in developing evidence-based policies and risk-based, flexible regulatory frameworks, as well as establishing and implementing effective food safety systems. Food safety news reports on government actions and policies related to food safety. Food handlers and consumers need to be educated on safe food handling practices, such as the WHO Five Keys to Safer Food at home, in restaurants, and in local markets. Food producers can ensure safer fruit and vegetable cultivation by following the WHO Five Keys to Growing Safer Fruits and Vegetables.
Food safety is a shared responsibility that requires a multisectoral, “One Health” approach, involving various national authorities and addressing all stages of the food chain, as highlighted in food safety news.
WHO Response
The World Health Organization (WHO) is committed to strengthening national food control systems to facilitate global prevention, detection, and response to public health threats associated with unsafe food. Follow food safety news for updates on WHO initiatives. To achieve this, WHO supports Member States by:
WHO collaborates closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and other international organizations to ensure food safety across the entire food chain, from production to consumption. This collaboration aligns with the One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026), working together for the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment, as frequently covered in food safety news and global health reports.
