Published 01.00
Bad food kills 1.5 million people a year worldwide, reports the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO report comes after analyzing data from 194 countries between the years 2000 and 2021. A total of 886 million people fall ill each year due to the consumption of food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals.
The worst affected are children, who run almost three times the risk of falling ill due to bad food.
Africa and Southeast Asia account for two-thirds of the disease cases and 60 percent of the deaths.
Bacteria and viruses account for most cases of illness, while chemicals account for a disproportionate share of deaths. Arsenic and lead account for most of these poisonings.
The cost of foodborne illness is estimated at $647 billion per year.
