Monitoring nutritional status and food safety events

Nutrition and Food Safety

The Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) Department is addressing the burden of disease from physical, chemical and microbial hazards in food and unhealthy diets, maternal and child malnutrition, overweight and obesity.

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Monitoring Nutritional status and Food safety events (MNF)

The Monitoring Nutritional status and Food safety events (MNF) Unit defines indicators and nutrition surveillance systems, hosts and maintain nutrition databases, monitors nutrition trends and measures the impact of country food and nutrition policies. The Unit manages INFOSAN and collaborates with WHE for the management of major food safety events including PHEICs.

News

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26 September 2025

Departmental update

Countries and global leaders recognized for their action to tackle the obesity crisis

22 August 2025

Joint News Release

Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza

28 July 2025

Joint News Release

Global hunger declines, but rises in Africa and western Asia: UN report

Our work

Groups / Initiatives

FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN)

Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG)

Strengthening national nutrition information systems (EC-NIS project)

Technical Advisory Group on Gestational Weight Gain (TAG-GWG)

Technical Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition Monitoring (TEAM)

Databases

Nutrition and Food Safety Databases

The Global Health Observatory Data on foodborne diseases

Tools and toolkits

Child growth standards

Growth reference data for 5-19 years

Global targets tracking tool

Micronutrient Survey Analyser and other tools

Addressing nutrition in emergencies

Assessing microbiological risks in food

Establishing global nutrient requirements

Measuring child growth through data

Monitoring progress towards global food safety targets

Promoting safe food handling

Assessing chemical risks in food

Establishing global nutrient requirements

Estimating the burden of foodborne diseases

Monitoring micronutrient status in populations

Strengthening foodborne disease surveillance

Strengthening nutrition surveillance

Events

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Annual general meeting of the WHO Alliance for Food Safety

28 – 30 October 2025

Country Voices on Trans Fat Elimination: Policies in Action

16 October 2025 10:00 – 11:00 CET

From assessment to action: Implementing WBTi to strengthen national breastfeeding policies

3 July 2025 15:00 – 16:30 CET

Call for

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1 September 2025

Call for consultation

Call for comment on the scope of the WHO guideline on optimal intake of animal-source foods

31 July 2025

Call for data

Food Additives: One hundred and second meeting - Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)

15 May 2025

Call for experts

Call for experts to develop a WHO guideline on consumption of ultra-processed foods

Publications

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Pesticide residues in food: report 2024: Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues

A Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues (JMPR)...

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WHO global anaemia estimates: key findings, 2025

The brief on key findings from the 2025 edition of the WHO anaemia estimates provides a snapshot of the current status of anaemia among women aged 15–49...

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Levels and trends in child malnutrition: UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group joint child malnutrition estimates: key findings of the 2025 edition

Child malnutrition estimates for the indicators stunting, severe wasting, wasting and overweight describe the magnitude and patterns of under- and overnutrition. ...

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