Key facts
- Unsafe food causes 1.5 million deaths annually, according to the WHO.
- 860 million people fall ill each year due to unsafe food.
- Children are particularly impacted by illnesses from unsafe food.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning regarding the global impact of unsafe food. According to the organization's latest assessments, contaminated food is responsible for approximately 1.5 million deaths each year. Furthermore, an estimated 860 million individuals fall ill annually as a direct result of consuming unsafe food products. The WHO highlighted that children represent a particularly vulnerable demographic, suffering a disproportionate burden of these illnesses.