World Health Organization: Food Safety

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Major food-borne diseases and causesFood-borne diseases are usually contagious or toxic, and are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances that are contaminated with food or water entering the human body
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Foodborne pathogens can cause severe diarrhea or weakening infections, including meningitis
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The evolving world and food safety
 

A safe food supply can support the country’s economy, trade and tourism, promote food and nutrition security, and support sustainable development
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Decision makers can:
Food handlers and consumers can:WHO's responseWHO aims to promote the global prevention, detection and response to public health threats related to unsafe food
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• • Obtaining adequate amounts of safe and nutritious food is the key to sustaining life and promoting health
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  • Foods containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals can cause more than 200 diseases, from diarrhea to cancer
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  • Food-borne and water-borne diarrhoeal diseases cause approximately 2 million deaths each year, most of them children
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  • Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked
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    Unsafe food creates a vicious circle of disease and malnutrition, especially affecting infants, young children, the elderly and the sick
    
    

  • Food-borne diseases put pressure on the health care system and harm the country’s economy, tourism and trade, thereby hindering socio-economic development
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  • The food supply chain now crosses multinational borders
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    Good cooperation between the government, manufacturers and consumers helps ensure food safety
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  • Salmonella, Campylobacter and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli are among the most common foodborne pathogens, affecting millions of people every year, sometimes leading to serious and fatal consequences
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    Symptoms are fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea
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    Foods involved in the Salmonella outbreak include eggs, poultry and other animal-derived products
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    Food-borne cases of Campylobacter infection are mainly caused by raw milk, raw or undercooked poultry, and drinking water
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    Enterohemorrhagic E.
    coli is related to unpasteurized milk, undercooked meat, and fresh fruits and vegetables
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  • Listeria infection can cause unexpected miscarriage of pregnant women or death of newborns
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    Although the incidence of disease is low, Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal health consequences, especially among infants, children and the elderly, making it the most serious food-borne infection
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    Listeria is found in unpasteurized dairy products and various ready-to-eat foods and may thrive at refrigerated temperatures
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  • Vibrio cholera infects people through contaminated water or food
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    Symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, and massive watery diarrhea, which can lead to severe dehydration and death
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    Rice, vegetables, millet porridge and various seafood are all implicated in the cholera epidemic
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  • Naturally produced toxins include mycotoxins, marine biological toxins, cyanogenic glycosides and toxins produced by poisonous mushrooms
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    Staple foods such as corn or cereals can contain high levels of mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins and ochratoxins
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    Long-term exposure may affect the immune system and normal development, or cause cancer
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  • Persistent organic pollutants are compounds that accumulate in the environment and the human body
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    Known examples are dioxins and PCBs, which are harmful by-products of industrial production and waste incineration
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    They are found in environments around the world and accumulate in the animal food chain
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    Dioxins are highly toxic and may cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and cause cancer
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  • Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and tributes can cause damage to the nervous system and kidneys
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    Heavy metal pollution in food mainly comes from air, water and soil pollution
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  • Establish and maintain appropriate food systems and infrastructure (such as laboratories) to respond to and manage food safety risks throughout the food chain, including during emergencies;
     

  • Promote multi-sectoral cooperation between public health, animal health, agriculture and other departments to strengthen communication and joint actions;
     

  • Integrate food safety into broader food policy and planning (such as nutrition and food security planning);
     

  • Consider globally and act locally to ensure that domestic food production is safe internationally
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  • Know the food they use (read labels on food packaging, make informed choices, and be familiar with common food hazards);
     

  • Safely handle and prepare food, and follow WHO's "Five Keys to Food Safety" when selling at home or in restaurants or local markets;
     

  • Growing fruits and vegetables is based on WHO’s "Five Keys to Growing Safer Fruits and Vegetables to Reduce Microbial Contamination"
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  • Provide independent scientific assessments of microbiological and chemical hazards, which form the basis of international food standards, guidelines and recommendations (the so-called Codex Alimentarius) to ensure the safety of food, no matter where it originated
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  • Evaluate the safety of new technologies used in food production, such as genetic modification and nanotechnology
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  • Help strengthen the national food system and legal framework and implement appropriate infrastructure to manage food safety risks
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    In order to quickly share information during food safety emergencies, WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have established an international network of food safety authorities
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  • Through the messages and training materials conveyed by the WHO's "Five Keys to Food Safety", systematically carry out disease prevention and awareness-raising programs, thereby promoting safe food handling methods
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  • According to the "International Health Regulations (2005)", food safety is promoted as an important part of health safety, and food safety is advocated in national policies and plans
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