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Food safety

    Overview

    Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases – ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. Around the world, an estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people – fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420 000 deaths and the loss of 33 million healthy life years (DALYs).

    Food safety, nutrition and food security are closely linked. Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick. In addition to contributing to food and nutrition security, a safe food supply also supports national economies, trade and tourism, stimulating sustainable development. The globalization of food trade, a growing world population, climate change and rapidly changing food systems have an impact on the safety of food. WHO aims to enhance at a global and country-level the capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats associated with unsafe food.

     

    Related health topics

    Publications

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    Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants: ninety-first report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives

    Ninety-first meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives Virtual meeting, 1–12 February 2021

    Evaluation of certain food additives: ninety-second report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives

    Ninety-second meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food AdditivesVirtual meeting, 7–18 June 2021

    Regional Roundtable (virtual) on advancing 
the implementation of the Framework for 
Action on Food Safety

    The Framework for Action on Food Safety in the WHO South-East Asia Region aims at providing guidance to Member States, WHO and partner agencies for the...

    Ranking of low-moisture foods in support of microbiological risk management: meeting report and systematic review

    Low-moisture foods (LMF) are foods that are naturally low in moisture or are produced from higher-moisture foods through drying or dehydration processes....

    Other documentation

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    CTF2 Annual report 2021 publication cover

    This report covers 2021, the sixth year of operation of the FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund-2 (CTF2), as well as the first half of 2022. It highlights key achievements...

    NFS newsletter Oct 2022 publicatin cover

    The present issue of the quarterly NFS newsletter features the “summer cocktail” of our activities in the following key areas: Covid-19 and...

    Cover of the FAO/WHO joint meeting report October 2022

    The following extracts of the results of the 2022 Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) are provided to make them accessible to interested...

    NFS newsletter Jun 2022 publication cover

    Before the summer break, we would like to share with you a quick glance on some of our activities in the 2nd quarter of 2022 to set nutrition and food...

    Assessment tool

    Food control system assessment tool: dimension D: Science / Knowledge base and continuous improvement

    Dimension D looks at the necessary features for the system to build its scientific soundness and to keep abreast of new scientific developments and innovations,...

    Food control system assessment tool: dimension C: interactions with stakeholders

    Dimension C identifies the interactions that must take place for the system to regularly adjust to national and international stakeholders’ evolving...

    Food control system assessment tool: dimension B: control functions

    Dimension B focuses on the processes and the outputs of the national food control system. It revolves around the control functions that must be exercised...

    Food control system assessment tool: dimension A: inputs and resources 

    Dimension A aims at mapping the fundamental elements necessary for the system to operate. These range from legal and policy instruments to financial assets,...

    Food control system assessment tool: introduction and glossary

    National food control system plays a pivotal role in protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in food trade. When we are able...