KATHMANDU, JUNE 7

The World Food Safety Day is being observed globally today, raising awareness on foodborne illnesses and promoting safer food practices under the theme "From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere."

The campaign highlights the growing global health challenge posed by unsafe food, with WHO estimates showing around 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths annually due to contaminated food-many of them preventable.

According to the WHO, children under five are nearly three times more vulnerable to foodborne illnesses than older age groups. Although they account for about 9 per cent of the global population, they represent nearly one-third of foodborne disease cases, particularly severe diarrhoeal infections.

The UN health body also warns of serious long-term risks from chemical contamination, including exposure to substances such as lead and methyl mercury, which can affect neurological and developmental health in children.

WHO data shows that while biological hazards such as bacteria, viruses and parasites remain the leading cause of foodborne illnesses, chemical contaminants were responsible for around 73 per cent of related deaths in 2021, with inorganic arsenic and lead among the key contributors. Africa and South-East Asia continue to bear the highest burden despite an overall global decline since 2000.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stressed the need for countries to better understand the human and economic costs of unsafe food in order to prioritise effective public health measures.

Marking the occasion, Minister for Health and Food Safety Nisha Mehta said foodborne diseases remain a major public health challenge and reaffirmed government commitment to ensuring access to safe and hygienic food.

In her message, the minister said the government is working to strengthen food safety through effective implementation of the Food Hygiene and Quality Assurance Act 2081 BS, upgrading food testing laboratories, enhancing risk-based market monitoring and advancing policy reforms.

She underscored that ensuring food safety across the entire supply chain-from production to consumption-is a core state responsibility, calling for improved agricultural practices, proper storage systems and fair pricing mechanisms to support safer food systems.