By Joke Kujenya
CONTAMINATED MEALS are making 600 million people ill each year, costing developing countries over US$110 billion annually in medical bills and lost productivity, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed.
Specifically, the 2025 World Food Safety Day, observed on 7 June, is beaming a spotlight on the scientific strategies that can slash that staggering burden, reduce preventable deaths, and promote global well-being through safer food systems.
In its latest report, it shows that unsafe food continues to cause more than 200 types of disease—from diarrhoea to cancer—claiming 420,000 lives a year, with children under five accounting for nearly a third of all deaths.
Many of these illnesses are invisible to the naked eye, triggered by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals sneaking in through improperly handled or contaminated food and water, the report reveals.
Food experts are now warning that most of these illnesses are preventable, starting with basic hygiene at home.
Starting from inside kitchens around the world, they cautioned that small actions could have outsized impact.
Basics such as washing hands and surfaces frequently, separating raw meat from ready-to-eat foods, cooking meals to safe temperatures, keeping perishables out of the 5°C to 60°C danger zone, and using clean water and fresh ingredients are simple, science-based steps that protect entire households.
They also noted that these steps are especially crucial for pregnant women, children and anyone with weakened immunity.
Beyond the home, food safety must be enforced across the entire chain—from farm to fork.
WHO reveals that the global food system is complex and interconnected.
The organ notes that a single lapse during harvesting, processing, packaging or distribution can ripple across borders.
It also says that’s why World Food Safety Day is pressing the message on governments, food producers, and international agencies to strengthen food control systems, uphold global food standards, and build trust in food markets.
In regions specifically affected by conflict or displacement, the consequences of unsafe food are even more severe.
Vulnerable populations suffer disproportionately, with access to safe food often blocked by poverty or poor infrastructure, the WHO stresses.
Across low- and middle-income countries, unsafe food is not just a health crisis but an economic one, limiting productivity, threatening exports, and placing a crushing burden on healthcare systems.
At a village clinic in rural part of Lagos State, nurses routinely treat children with diarrhoeal diseases linked to contaminated food.
“We see mothers bringing in sick babies every week,” says a local health worker.
“When asked what the children had eaten, the response is often food that’s been stored too long, or water fetched from unclean sources.” The link between unsafe food and illness is clear—and tragically preventable.
Consequently, the Year 2025 theme places science at the heart of prevention.
It highlights how evidence-based practices can drive improvements in food systems worldwide.
The document shared reveals how science informs risk assessments, sets safety standards, and helps nations respond quickly to outbreaks.
Through scientific collaboration and public education, the document shows that countries can reduce deaths, protect their economies, and open new pathways to trade and development.
This year’s observance of the World Food Safety Day shows that it is jointly facilitated by the WHO, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, working alongside governments and local organisations.
Under the slogan “Food safety, everyone’s business,” their campaign urges decision-makers, food businesses and everyday consumers to take responsibility and adopt habits that make food safer for all.
The organisations also jointly noted that access to safe food is a fundamental human right, adding that, from households to restaurants and global supply chains, every link in the chain matters – as science provides the roadmap and commitment delivers the results.
