Unsafe foodstuffs can contain many types of harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals.
Examples include undercooked meat, fruits and vegetables contaminated with faeces and shellfish containing marine toxins.
But the WHO says investigating these outbreaks has become increasingly challenging as single plates of food often have ingredients from many countries.
In its first WHO report on this issue, its director-general Dr Margaret Chan warns: “A local food problem can quickly turn into an international emergency.
“Food production has been industrialised, and its trade and distribution have been globalised.
“These changes introduce multiple opportunities for food to become contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals.”
via Unsafe food is ‘growing global threat’, says WHO – BBC News.
