TY - JOUR
T1 - WHO estimates of the global, regional, and national burden of 42 foodborne infectious and chemical hazards, 2000-21
T2 - an updated data synthesis
AU - Lake, Robin J
AU - Devleesschauwer, Brecht
AU - Majowicz, Shannon E
AU - Robertson, Lucy J
AU - Jakobsen, Lea Sletting
AU - Agudo, Antonio
AU - Pires, Sara M
AU - Kirk, Martyn D
AU - Walter, Elaine Scallan
AU - Keddy, Karen H
AU - di Bari, Carlotta
AU - Vaes, Louise
AU - Havelaar, Arie H
AU - Roberts, Charlee
AU - Gobena, Tesfaye
AU - Kretzschmar, Mirjam E
AU - Nane, Gabriela F
AU - Hoffmann, Sandra
AU - Mughini-Gras, Lapo
AU - Sripa, Banchob
AU - Kubota, Kunihiro
AU - Founou, Luria Leslie
AU - Bai, Li
AU - Huthiel, Mohammed Al
AU - Rachmawati, Tety
AU - Estrada-Garcia, Teresa
AU - Kumar, Ashok
AU - Natour, Fadi Al
AU - Jaffee, Steven
AU - Henson, Spencer
AU - Ingenbleek, Luc
AU - Kumapley, Richard
AU - Borghi, Elaine
AU - Minato, Yuki
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 World Health Organization; licensee Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY IGO license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
PY - 2026/8
Y1 - 2026/8
N2 - BACKGROUND: Foodborne diseases are important causes of illness and death. The first estimates of their burden were published by WHO in 2015. We updated WHO estimates of the global, regional, subregional, and national foodborne disease burden caused by 42 infectious and chemical hazards in 2021, including time trends for 2000-21.METHODS: We provide a high-level summary of foodborne disease burden, expressed as incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Data for burden estimation were provided from a WHO-commissioned series of systematic reviews on the incidence, aetiology, sequelae, and case fatality or mortality of the hazards. Data were analysed using hierarchical meta-regression modelling with geographical clustering and a global linear time trend, disease-specific computational models, and uncertainty propagation through Monte Carlo simulations to calculate 95% uncertainty intervals. Attribution to foodborne transmission was principally based on a structured expert judgement process. Economic impact was measured as lost productivity.FINDINGS: For 2021, foodborne transmission of the 42 hazards caused 866 million (95% uncertainty interval 680-1090) illnesses, 1·52 million (0·783-2·51) deaths, and 57·1 million (39·4-81·1) DALYs. Inorganic arsenic, lead, and non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica (diarrhoeal and invasive disease) resulted in the most DALYs. The greatest burden of foodborne disease was in the African and South-East Asia regions. The incidence in children younger than 5 years was 2·7 times higher than in people aged 5 years or older, resulting in 4·3 times the rate of DALYs. The total burden from all hazards decreased over time. In 2021, these 42 hazards resulted in productivity losses of US$310 billion in nominal terms, and US$647 billion after adjusting for purchasing power parity.INTERPRETATION: Foodborne diseases causes a burden similar to that from tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, or malaria. The high burden of both communicable and non-communicable foodborne diseases requires countries to prioritise developing strategies to improve the safety of the food supply.FUNDING: WHO.
AB - BACKGROUND: Foodborne diseases are important causes of illness and death. The first estimates of their burden were published by WHO in 2015. We updated WHO estimates of the global, regional, subregional, and national foodborne disease burden caused by 42 infectious and chemical hazards in 2021, including time trends for 2000-21.METHODS: We provide a high-level summary of foodborne disease burden, expressed as incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Data for burden estimation were provided from a WHO-commissioned series of systematic reviews on the incidence, aetiology, sequelae, and case fatality or mortality of the hazards. Data were analysed using hierarchical meta-regression modelling with geographical clustering and a global linear time trend, disease-specific computational models, and uncertainty propagation through Monte Carlo simulations to calculate 95% uncertainty intervals. Attribution to foodborne transmission was principally based on a structured expert judgement process. Economic impact was measured as lost productivity.FINDINGS: For 2021, foodborne transmission of the 42 hazards caused 866 million (95% uncertainty interval 680-1090) illnesses, 1·52 million (0·783-2·51) deaths, and 57·1 million (39·4-81·1) DALYs. Inorganic arsenic, lead, and non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica (diarrhoeal and invasive disease) resulted in the most DALYs. The greatest burden of foodborne disease was in the African and South-East Asia regions. The incidence in children younger than 5 years was 2·7 times higher than in people aged 5 years or older, resulting in 4·3 times the rate of DALYs. The total burden from all hazards decreased over time. In 2021, these 42 hazards resulted in productivity losses of US$310 billion in nominal terms, and US$647 billion after adjusting for purchasing power parity.INTERPRETATION: Foodborne diseases causes a burden similar to that from tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, or malaria. The high burden of both communicable and non-communicable foodborne diseases requires countries to prioritise developing strategies to improve the safety of the food supply.FUNDING: WHO.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105044089479
U2 - 10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103994
DO - 10.1016/j.langlo.2026.103994
M3 - Article
C2 - 42235567
SN - 2214-109X
VL - 14
JO - The Lancet. Global health
JF - The Lancet. Global health
IS - 8
M1 - 103994
ER -