The World Health Organization’s global estimates are the most widely used measure of the foodborne disease burden. Older articles and social posts often quote wildly exaggerated numbers; the figures below are the WHO’s genuine published estimates, and they are serious enough on their own.
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The Headline Numbers
The WHO estimates that about 600 million people — nearly 1 in 10 people in the world — fall ill after eating contaminated food each year. Of those, about 420,000 die. Foodborne illness is one of the largest preventable health burdens in the world.
The Impact on Young Children
Children under five carry about 40% of the foodborne disease burden, even though they make up a much smaller share of the world’s population. About 125,000 children in this age group die from foodborne illness each year — which is why safe food, safe water and good hygiene matter so much in the earliest years of life.
Measuring the Burden
The WHO puts the total burden at about 33 million healthy life years (DALYs) lost every year. The most common causes are diarrhoeal diseases, especially norovirus and Campylobacter, which spread easily through contaminated food and water and from person to person.
The WHO’s Five Keys to Safer Food
To cut this burden, the WHO promotes its Five Keys to Safer Food: keep clean; separate raw and cooked; cook thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures; and use safe water and raw materials. Followed in home and professional kitchens, those five habits prevent most foodborne illness.
This article is general information only and is not medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional for personal advice.