Foodborne diseases affect 10% of world population annually: WHO

Globally, foodborne diseases affect one in ten people annually, and the magnitude of the public health burden due to foodborne diseases was comparable to that of malaria or HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

On World Food Safety Day on June 7, food safety experts called on attention and action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, Xihua news agency reported.

"Most foodborne diseases are preventable with proper food handling and education," said Simone Moraes Raszl, expert from the WHO's Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, told a press briefing held here on Tuesday.

Markus Lipp, senior food safety officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said at the press briefing that food security was a priority for FAO.

"In the context of the current global disruptions, food safety needs additional attention. Available food should not be making people ill. Sustainable development goals could not be met if food was not safe," he noted.

According to the latest FAO figures, with approximately 193 million people acutely food insecure and in need of urgent assistance, food insecurity was already on the rise in 2021.