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Food contaminated with harmful agents claims 1.5 million lives worldwide every year, with the youngest children bearing the heaviest burden, the World Health Organization reported Thursday. An analysis of 194 countries from 2000 to 2021 revealed that 886 million people fall ill annually due to unsafe food consumption. Children under five are nearly three times more likely to be at risk.

"Food safety is not an abstract issue -- it touches every meal, every family, every day," stated WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. While illnesses from unsafe food have seen an overall decline since 2000, significant regional disparities persist. Africa and Southeast Asia together account for almost three-quarters of all food-related ailments and 60 percent of global deaths.

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Food safety is not an abstract issue -- it touches every meal, every family, every day.

Biological hazards like bacteria and viruses were responsible for the vast majority of food-borne illnesses, with approximately 860 million cases in 2021. However, chemical contaminants, such as arsenic and lead poisoning, contributed a disproportionately high number of deaths. "The data show that food-borne 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," noted Yuki Minato, a WHO technical officer for food safety.

Beyond the severe health consequences, the study estimates that food-borne diseases inflicted a staggering $647 billion loss in global economic productivity in 2021. This highlights the far-reaching impact of food safety issues, extending from individual well-being to the global economy.

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The data show that food-borne 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.