Thread by @WHO

DYK: 1 in 10 people fall ill every year from eating contaminated food and 420,000 die each year as a result.
Children under-5 are at particularly high risk. 125,000 young children die from foodborne diseases every year.

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#FoodSafety

The most common symptoms of foodborne disease are stomach pains, vomiting & diarrhoea. Food contaminated with heavy metals or with naturally occurring toxins can also cause long-term health problems including cancer & neurological disorders.

#FoodSafety

The consequences of foodborne disease are usually more severe and may be fatal for infants, pregnant women, the sick and the elderly.

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#FoodSafety

The food supply is complex and involves a range of different stages including:
🧑‍🌾on-farm production
🧑‍🌾slaughtering or harvesting
⚙️ processing
📦 storage
🚚 transport
🛒 distribution
before the food reaches the consumers.

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#FoodSafety

Globalization of food production and trade is making the food chain longer and complicates foodborne disease outbreak investigation and product recall in case of emergency.

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#FoodSafety

To improve #FoodSafety, different governmental departments and agencies, encompassing public health, agriculture, education and trade, need to collaborate and communicate with each other and engage with the civil society including consumer groups.

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Food contamination has far reaching effects beyond direct public health consequences – it undermines food exports, tourism, livelihoods of food handlers and economic development, both in developed and developing countries.

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#FoodSafety