About 420 thousand people, including 125 thousand. children under five die every year from diseases resulting from eating contaminated food.
About 600 million people suffer from foodborne diseases each year.
An analysis of diseases caused by 31 types of bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals in food revealed that most people die from it in Africa and Southeast Asia.
According to the WHO, eating raw or undercooked meat, fresh crops and dairy products is a particularly big problem.
The most common foodborne illnesses are typhoid fever and hepatitis A.
WHO Director General Margaret Chan called on governments of the world to make greater efforts to ensure food safety.