Food Safety Program at WHO

The Food Safety Program works to ensure food sold or served at restaurants, markets, schools, institutions and other retail food establishments is safe. The changing face of the food system makes this mission more challenging each year. Nearly every week there are media reports on new nationwide food recalls or deadly outbreaks. Advances in food testing and laboratory reporting are driving the increase in food recalls and the discovery of foodborne pathogens in more diverse foods. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.