WHO report alerts everyone regarding unsafe food.
Many times we eat bad and unhygienic food. But this can prove to be very harmful for our health. According to new estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, every 86 crore people fall ill due to bad food and out of these, more than 15 lakh die when their condition worsens. These figures caution about small children, saying that children under 5 years of age are almost three times more likely to get sick due to bad food than older children and adults.
Despite making up only 9 percent of the world’s population, young children suffer from nearly one-third of the cases of food-borne diseases, especially diarrhea-related diseases, which can prove to be very fatal for this young age group. Also, exposure to chemicals like methylmercury and lead in food can damage their brain and children may have neurological and developmental problems throughout their life.
Measures to prevent the spread of disease
This global organization estimates that every year more than 86 crore (866 million) people become ill due to bad food while more than 15 lakh people die. While many of these deaths can be prevented through many measures like clean water, sanitation and hygiene, adopting pasteurized food safety practices and providing poor people access to health care centres.
Although the overall burden of food-borne diseases and problems has declined since 2000, regional imbalances remain, with the highest burden remaining in Africa and South-East Asia.
More harm than chemical hazards
Exposure to biological hazards, including bacteria and viruses in food, as well as parasitic infections, caused the majority of foodborne illnesses (about 86 crore in 2021), while exposure to chemicals caused the majority of deaths. In 2021, about 73% of deaths due to contaminated food were due to chemical hazards. Most of these chemical-related deaths were linked to inorganic arsenic (42%) and lead (31%), which increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Apart from the health impacts, the study estimates an estimated US$310 billion (Rs 2,96,88,00,25,00,000) in lost productivity (absence from work due to illness) in 2021 due to foodborne illnesses. When the economic impact was adjusted for differences in the cost of living between countries, the estimated loss in productivity increased to US$647 billion (Rs 6,19,55,26,42,50,000).
Health protection should be given priority: Ghebreyesus
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said, “Food security is not a small issue. It is connected to every meal, every family, every day. Unsafe and spoiled food has always been a major public health concern, but until now we did not know the bigger picture of its staggering human and economic losses. But new estimates have changed this to a great extent.” He adds, “For the first time, countries have their own data to show where the problem is most severe. With this information, governments can prioritize what is needed to protect people’s health.”
New WHO data significantly expands the evidence base by assessing 42 major foodborne threats, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemicals, from 194 countries from 2000 to 2021. Estimates now include new threats including metals, rotavirus, and Trypanosoma cruzi (the parasite that causes Chagas disease).
Food items can be spoiled by inorganic chemicals like arsenic, lead and methylmercury due to natural sources and human activities. Once these things enter the food chain, they are often difficult or impossible to remove. The organization urges governments to prevent food spoilage at the source through better farming practices, strict industrial controls and stronger environmental regulations.
Risk of cancer and mental weakness
Although the presence of some metals in food is decreasing over time, these estimates show for the first time that metal consumption is increasing the risk of heart diseases, cancer and mental weakness. Inorganic arsenic and lead are linked to more than 1 million deaths a year. Methylmercury can harm the developing brain and cause lifelong neurological and developmental problems in children.
Changing diets, environmental pressures, globalization and inequities in the food system continue to determine who is most exposed to unsafe foods. Children and people living in low-resource communities struggle the most with health. Especially in lower and middle income countries. The African and South-East Asian regions together account for nearly three-quarters of food-borne illnesses and 60% of deaths worldwide.
