Foodborne diseases and food contamination events highlight the need to secure public access to safe and healthy food. WHO provides strategic guidance and technical support to Member States to strengthen national food safety systems, guided by the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety. This strategy guides Member States in their efforts to prioritize, plan, implement, monitor and regularly evaluate actions towards the reduction of the burden of foodborne diseases by continuously strengthening food safety systems and promoting global cooperation.​

WHO also facilitates regional cooperation to effectively manage food safety risks and respond to food safety incidents and emergencies.​

WHO positions food safety as an important component of health security and sustainable development. This includes providing technical support to assist countries in achieving the core capacities required under the International Health Regulations (2005) and strengthening the linkages between National IHR Focal Points and the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN). ​

Promoting safe food handling​

Each year, 1 in 10 people get ill by eating unsafe food. While food safety is a shared responsibility, individual consumers and food handlers play a huge role in preventing foodborne diseases. “Five keys to safer food” messages were therefore developed to empower all consumers worldwide with a simple and applicable set of actions to prevent foodborne diseases. ​

1. Keep clean ​
2. Separate raw and cooked​
3. Cook thoroughly ​
4. Keep food at safe temperatures ​
5. Use safe water and raw materials