WHO calls for unified action on food safety

Every day, an estimated 1.6 million people fall ill due to unsafe food, according to a stark warning from the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a press briefing in Geneva ahead of World Food Safety Day on Saturday, WHO called for urgent, science-based global action to ensure safer food for all.

“Food safety is a global responsibility,” emphasized Simone Moraes Raszl, a scientist with WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety. “These illnesses are preventable, and the science to prevent them already exists. What we need is action — coordinated, evidence-based, and inclusive action.”

Raszl underscored that ensuring food safety is a shared duty. Policymakers, she said, must invest in robust data systems and enforce science-based regulations.

Food businesses should implement strict safety protocols and embrace transparency. Academic institutions must continue to innovate and educate, while consumers also play a vital role by practicing safe food handling at home.

“Every one of us is a risk manager,” Raszl said. “Because if it’s not safe, it’s not food.”