Spotlight on the need to define food safety priorities by studying the national burden of foodborne diseases
WHO
A new article highlights the challenges of estimating the burden of foodborne diseases in low-resource settings, and the role international organizations play in supporting countries to develop capacity and conduct studies in this area. National studies are essential to establish food safety as a public health priority, rank diseases and inform interventions.
In 2015, WHO published global and regional estimates of the burden of foodborne diseases. Estimates for the WHO European Region showed that every year, over 23 million people fall ill from eating contaminated food. This results in 5000 deaths, and adds an extra burden of more than 400 000 years lived with disability.
In recent years, various countries in the Region have taken steps to implement regular studies of the national burden of foodborne diseases. However, despite progress, the current burden-of-disease landscape remains scattered, and researchers struggle to translate their findings into useful data for policy-makers.
WHO supports Member States to generate the data and information needed to make risk-based food safety decisions through technical cooperation and by building networks across sectors, stakeholders and national borders. Only when countries know what makes people sick are they able to target interventions in areas where food safety risks are highest.
Foodborne disease studies provide the basis for informed risk-management decisions. This is a key priority of the forthcoming Global Food Safety Strategy developed by WHO. The Strategy will serve as a framework to guide governments to strengthen national food safety control systems.
The new WHO guidance on estimating the burden of foodborne diseases in countries will play a crucial part in encouraging Member States to develop and launch their national studies.
