One in every 10 people across the globe or approximately 600 million suffer from food contamination every year. Of this number, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 420,000 die and most victims are children.
Following the study, WHO is urging the government and all industries to enhance food chain assessment and control. From farms to factories then to people's plates, ensuring food safety and cleanliness is necessary all the time. Food-related diseases are results of harmful microorganisms that invade systems, for example, parasites, salmonella, toxins and viruses. These trigger both short-term symptoms like diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and long-term diseases such as arthritis, brain disorder, cancer and kidney or liver failure.
"The data we are publishing is only a very conservative estimate, we are sure that the real figure is bigger," Dr. Kazuaki Miyagishima, WHO Department of Food Safety director, said. Aside from approximating contamination cases, the study also assessed on how food are being sold. Miyagishima pointed that one factor could be due to international trade.
"If there is one country where food safety is weak and this country exports food to other countries, (it) becomes the weakest chain in the whole food production system," he explained. Inappropriate food handling that is common in some countries that love street foods is also a factor.
"It is much better to invest in training and education of street vendors than to try to penalise them," Dr. Arie Hendrik Havelaar from the University of Florida suggested. "That would be an important strategy for many countries in the world to improve the food safety situation."
The mortality rate due to foodborne disease is highest in developing and poor countries; however, even first world countries like the United States and Europe also have outbreaks. "Our results show that the biggest burden is in Africa and in southeast Asia, and there the death rates are highest, including those of children under five years of age," lead author Havelaar said.
The study conducted by 150 researchers for 8 years found that children below 5 years old are most vulnerable. They comprise 40 percent of the 600 million cases related to food and 30 percent of the 420,000 deaths recorded. These numbers can be accounted for usually due to consuming of raw or undercooked food like meat or eggs and contaminated produce or dairy products.
The report further specified that a high percentage of death in Africa is due to aflatoxin, cyanide, salmonella and pork tapeworm. With these alarming findings at hand, WHO suggests that the government should channel investments on training and educating food producers, suppliers and handlers as well as the citizens.
