1.6 mn people worldwide fall ill daily due to eating contaminated food, WHO

A 1.6 million people, including 40 per cent of children under 5, worldwide fall ill due to the consumption of unsafe food, said Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director on Thursday, ahead of World Food Safety Day.

World Food Safety Day, marked annually on June 7, was established by the UN General Assembly in 2018 to draw



attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats associated with unsafe food. The theme this year is ‘Prepare for the unexpected.’

Every day, approximately 1.6 million people worldwide fall ill due to the consumption of unsafe food, said Saima, WHO Regional Director for South East Asia.