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Review
. 2021 Jun:39:152-159.
doi: 10.1016/j.cofs.2021.01.006.

Burden of foodborne diseases: think global, act local

Sara M Pires  1 , Binyam N Desta  2 , Lapo Mughini-Gras  3   4 , Blandina T Mmbaga  5   6 , Olanrewaju E Fayemi  7 , Elsa M Salvador  8 , Tesfaye Gobena  9 , Shannon E Majowicz  2 , Tine Hald  1 , Peter S Hoejskov  10 , Yuki Minato  11 , Brecht Devleesschauwer  12   13
Affiliations
Review

Burden of foodborne diseases: think global, act local

Sara M Pires et al. Curr Opin Food Sci. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

National burden of foodborne disease (FBD) studies are essential to establish food safety as a public health priority, rank diseases, and inform interventions. In recent years, various countries have taken steps to implement them. Despite progress, the current burden of disease landscape remains scattered, and researchers struggle to translate findings to input for policy. We describe the current knowledge base on burden of FBDs, highlight examples of well-established studies, and how results have been used for decision-making. We discuss challenges in estimating burden of FBD in low-resource settings, and the experience and opportunities deriving from a large-scale research project in these settings. Lastly, we highlight the role of international organizations and initiatives in supporting countries to develop capacity and conduct studies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

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    2. The WHO published the first ever estimates of the Global and Regional Burden of Foodborne Diseases. The study was crucial to raise awareness for the public health impact of foodborne diseases, and to point to food safety priorities in different regions globally.

    1. Pires S.M., Mughini-Gras L., Desta B.N., Majowicz S., Hald T., Hoejskov P.S., Devleesschauwer B. Burden of foodborne disease: methods and relevance of national studies. Eur J Public Health. 2020;30
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