World Food Safety Day

World Food Safety Day History

World Food Safety Day highlights and promotes the importance of safe food handling, preparation, and storage. Hosted under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, it seeks to draw attention to foodborne diseases and other food-related health hazards. The international observance provides a platform necessary for sharing best practices, raising awareness of food safety protocols, and fostering collaborations between governments, food producers, and consumers to ensure food safety worldwide.

The United Nations General Assembly declared World Food Safety Day in December 2018, with the first observance taking place on June 7th, 2019. The main goal remains communicating about the importance of food safety, a topic particularly relevant to the United States, given the country's diverse food manufacturing and consumption practices. The United Nations estimates that annually, roughly 600 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die, demonstrating the importance of this observance.

In America, World Food Safety Day is marked by various activities, which may include public education campaigns, food safety workshops, seminars, and webinars targeting food processors and handlers. Social media campaigns, school-based programs, and collaborative initiatives with food industries and food-related businesses also form part of the observance, highlighting the importance of safe food handling at every stage, from farm to table. World Food Safety Day takes place each year on June 7th, serving as a timely reminder of the crucial role that food safety plays in maintaining public health in America.

Top 9 Facts for World Food Safety Day in 2026

• The 2026 theme for World Food Safety Day is From burden to solutions — safe food everywhere, which emphasizes a global transition from merely tracking illnesses to implementing data-driven interventions.
• A major highlight of the upcoming observance is the release of a landmark WHO report providing the first-ever national-level estimates of the foodborne disease burden, utilizing roughly 25,000 data points across thousands of studies.
• For the first time, these updated global health assessments will expand their analysis to include the public health impact of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and methylmercury in the food supply.
• Current global statistics indicate that children under the age of five carry approximately 40 percent of the foodborne disease burden, resulting in an estimated 125,000 deaths in that age group annually.
• Unsafe food results in an estimated $110 billion in annual productivity losses and medical costs within low- and middle-income countries alone.
• The 2026 campaign is designed to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically targeting Zero Hunger and Good Health and Well-being by ensuring that increased food production does not compromise consumer safety.
• Advocates are encouraged to promote the Five Keys to Safer Food, a foundational manual that outlines essential hygiene practices such as keeping food at safe temperatures and using safe water and raw materials.
• International safety benchmarks are established through the Codex Alimentarius, a collection of internationally recognized standards and codes of practice that the 2026 initiative seeks to implement more broadly across global supply chains.
• An interactive dashboard on the Global Health Observatory will be launched to allow the public and policymakers to visualize foodborne risks and mortality rates by specific hazards at a country level.

In the News and Trending in the US for World Food Safety Day

Top things to do in the US for World Food Safety Day

• Watch the 2021 World Food Safety Day video.
• Learn more about food safety.
• Discover 5 keys to safer food.

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