Over 1.5 million children die of contaminated food globally each year: WHO

Key points

• Children under the age of five face nearly three times the risk of falling ill from unsafe food compared to older children and adults, according to new estimates released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• Although children under five make up just 9% of the world's population, they account for almost one-third of all foodborne diseases globally.
• Many of these illnesses are diarrhoeal diseases, which can be life-threatening in young children.
• The new WHO estimates reveal the massive global burden of contaminated food.
• In 2021 alone, unsafe food caused around 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths worldwide, many of which could have been prevented through better sanitation, safer food handling practices, access to clean water and timely healthcare.