1.6M fall sick daily from unsafe food, warns WHO

1.6M fall sick daily from unsafe food, warns WHO
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Every day, 1.6 million people worldwide become ill from consuming unsafe food, the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reported. The agency called for enhanced global efforts to guarantee food safety through policies and practices grounded in science.

“Food safety is a shared global responsibility,” stated Simone Moraes Raszl, a scientist at WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, during a UN press briefing in Geneva ahead of World Food Safety Day on Saturday.

“These illnesses can be prevented, and the scientific knowledge to do so already exists. What is needed now is coordinated, evidence-based, and inclusive action,” she emphasized.

Raszl highlighted that ensuring food safety involves all parts of society. Policymakers must commit to science-driven regulations and robust data systems; food industry players should implement strict safety measures and promote transparency; academic institutions need to continue innovating and educating; and consumers must remain informed and practice safe food handling at home.

“Each of us plays a role in managing risk,” she concluded. “If it’s not safe, it’s not food.”