Cairo, Egypt – On World Food Safety Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the role of scientific research and innovation in ensuring food safety.
Scientists contribute to understanding the risks to human health from known, emerging and anticipated food contaminants in many ways. They conduct rigorous research to generate reliable evidence which helps policy-makers, food businesses and consumers make informed and safe decisions.
The burden of foodborne diseases is significant yet largely preventable. Foodborne diseases affect individuals across all age groups, but particularly children under 5 and the vulnerable. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is at a critical point in efforts to ensure that all individuals have access to safe and nutritious food supplies. The situation is made even more urgent by fast-evolving climate change and environmental pollution, the surge in urbanization, population growth and shifts in lifestyle and consumption patterns. These factors are increasing human exposure to harmful chemical compounds, antimicrobial residues and drug-resistant foodborne pathogens.
The health implications and associated economic costs of foodborne diseases are substantial. They include expenses related to medical treatment, child development, lost productivity, export restrictions and market loss.
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