Food hygiene spans household handling, food-service controls, official inspections and the health burden of contaminated food. The figures below distinguish modelled estimates, reported surveillance, administrative activity and self-reported survey behaviour across global, U.S., European and UK settings.
Key Food Hygiene Statistics
The most broadly useful food hygiene figures include:
- In the WHO’s 2021 global estimate published in 2026, 866 million people fell ill after eating contaminated food worldwide each year.
- In 2021, unsafe food was estimated to cause 1.52 million deaths worldwide each year.
- In the latest WHO global estimate, 57.1 million healthy life-years were lost globally each year because of unsafe food.
- WHO estimated US$310 billion in annual productivity and medical costs worldwide from unsafe food in its 2021 model.
- In 2021, children under five experienced 29% of the global health burden from unsafe food.
- The CDC’s 2011 U.S. estimate found 47.8 million foodborne illnesses annually from contaminated food.
- The same 2011 U.S. estimate found 127,839 annual hospitalizations and 3,037 annual deaths from contaminated food.
- EU countries reported 148,181 campylobacteriosis cases in 2023.
- The EU reported 77,486 salmonellosis cases in 2023.
- EU countries reported 10,217 STEC infections in 2023.
- In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 203,000 food hygiene ratings were issued in 2023/24.
- Among FSA respondents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who had checked a rating, 86% used the sticker displayed at the business between October 2023 and January 2024.
- In the same survey, 70% always washed their hands before preparing or cooking food.
- 92% always washed their hands immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish in that survey.
- 77% always cooked food until steaming hot and cooked all the way through in that survey.
- 64% ate refrigerated leftovers within two days in the October 2023–January 2024 survey.
- In the FDA’s October–November 2019 U.S. survey, 62% of adults owned a food thermometer.
Contents
- Global food hygiene statistics: illness, deaths and economic burden
- U.S. foodborne illness statistics and burden estimates
- European foodborne disease and outbreak statistics
- Household food hygiene statistics: cleaning, chilling and cooking
- Food hygiene statistics on cross-contamination, leftovers and dates
- Food hygiene ratings, consumer checks and inspection trends
Global food hygiene statistics: illness, deaths and economic burden
WHO’s updated food-safety figures are modelled estimates for 2021, published in 2026. They are not a direct global case count, and the updated series should not be mixed with older 2015 headline estimates as a trend.
- WHO estimated 866 million illnesses per year worldwide after people ate contaminated food.
- Unsafe food was estimated to cause 1.52 million deaths per year worldwide.
- The estimated economic burden was US$310 billion per year in productivity and medical expenses worldwide.
- Unsafe food was associated with 143,000 deaths among children under five in 2021.
- Children under five accounted for 29% of the global health burden from unsafe food in 2021; this is a burden share, not a share of cases.
- WHO says unsafe food can cause more than 200 diseases, a broad hazard description rather than an annual case total.
The WHO burden database covers 42 key food hazards and estimates 57.1 million healthy life-years lost globally each year. That metric combines fatal and nonfatal health loss, so it is not interchangeable with illness or death counts. WHO, Food safety and WHO, Estimating the burden of foodborne diseases
WHO also estimated that dietary exposure to arsenic and lead together resulted in 1 million cardiovascular deaths in 2021, while those exposures resulted in 124,000 cancer deaths. These are chemical dietary-exposure estimates and are not exclusively measures of microbial food hygiene. WHO, Food safety
U.S. foodborne illness statistics and burden estimates
The CDC figures below are 2011 estimates, not current surveillance totals. The model combines surveillance, corrections for underreporting and attribution assumptions.
| U.S. outcome, 2011 estimate | All contaminated food | 31 major known agents |
|---|---|---|
| Illnesses per year | 47.8 million | 9.4 million |
| Hospitalizations per year | 127,839 | 55,961 |
| Deaths per year | 3,037 | 1,351 |
The 31-agent column is a known-agent subset, while the all-food column includes the broader estimate.
- Unspecified agents were estimated to cause 38.4 million foodborne gastroenteritis illnesses annually.
- Unspecified agents were estimated to cause 71,878 hospitalizations annually.
- Unspecified agents were estimated to cause 1,686 deaths annually.
The unspecified category includes agents that were not described, unrecognized agents and noninfectious causes, and it was derived using symptom surveys and attribution assumptions. CDC, Burden of Foodborne Illness: Questions and Answers
European foodborne disease and outbreak statistics
EFSA’s reported 2023 surveillance results show the scale of several monitored infections in the European Union. Country coverage and comparability vary, so reported cases and notification rates should be read as surveillance measures rather than complete incidence estimates.
| EU infection | Confirmed cases, 2023 | Notification rate, 2023 | Change from 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campylobacteriosis | 148,181 | 45.7 per 100,000 | +4.3% |
| Salmonellosis | 77,486 | 18 per 100,000 | +16.9% |
| STEC | 10,217 | 3.1 per 100,000 | +30% |
| Yersiniosis | 8,738 | Not supplied | Not supplied |
The campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis figures are confirmed human cases reported by EU countries, while STEC is reported as infections. The percentage changes describe reported notification changes from 2022 to 2023, not necessarily changes in underlying infection risk. EFSA, The European Union One Health 2023 Zoonoses Report
Household food hygiene statistics: cleaning, chilling and cooking
The FSA Food and You 2 Wave 8 results cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland from October 2023 to January 2024. They are self-reported responses, so they describe reported behaviour or knowledge rather than observed kitchen practice.
- 70% always washed their hands before preparing or cooking food, while 92% always washed immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish.
- 60% identified 0–5°C as the correct refrigerator range, but this was a knowledge response rather than a measured refrigerator temperature.
- Among respondents with a fridge, 58% said they monitored its temperature.
- 77% always cooked food until steaming hot and cooked all the way through.
- 90% never ate chicken or turkey when it was pink or had pink juices.
The U.S. FDA’s October–November 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey provides a separate measure of equipment adoption. 62% of U.S. adults owned a food thermometer, based on self-reported ownership.
Among U.S. thermometer owners who cooked each item, 85% used a thermometer for whole chickens, 79% for beef, lamb or pork roasts, and 40% for chicken parts. These are conditional use measures, not percentages of all U.S. adults. FSA, Food and You 2: Wave 8 Key Findings and FDA, 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey Report
Food hygiene statistics on cross-contamination, leftovers and dates
Storage and leftover practices in the same FSA survey show several separate controls rather than one single hygiene measure. Because the questions can allow multiple responses, the percentages should not be added together.
| Reported household practice | Share of respondents | Period and geography |
|---|---|---|
| Never wash raw chicken | 56% | Oct 2023–Jan 2024, England, Wales and Northern Ireland |
| Store raw meat and poultry at the bottom of the fridge | 63% | Same survey and geography |
| Keep raw meat and poultry in original packaging | 71% | Same survey and geography |
| Store raw meat and poultry away from cooked foods | 51% | Same survey and geography |
| Keep raw meat and poultry in a sealed container | 40% | Same survey and geography |
| Cover raw meat and poultry with film or foil | 35% | Same survey and geography |
For leftovers, 64% said they ate refrigerated leftovers within two days, while 27% said within three to five days. For reheating, 79% said they would reheat food once, 11% twice, and 3% more than twice.
Knowledge of date labels was also measured: 65% identified the use-by date as the indicator that food is no longer safe to eat. These are self-reported intended behaviours and knowledge responses, not direct observations of household food handling. FSA, Food and You 2: Wave 8 Key Findings
Food hygiene ratings, consumer checks and inspection trends
Administrative rating activity provides context for how food businesses are assessed, but a rating count is not a count of unique businesses, hygiene failures or unsafe premises.
| Area and measure | Earlier period | Later period | Change or level |
|---|---|---|---|
| England, Wales and Northern Ireland ratings issued | 191,000 in 2022/23 | 203,000 in 2023/24 | +6.5% |
| England, Wales and Northern Ireland ratings | About 159,000 in 2021/22 | — | Activity resumed after the pandemic |
| Scotland FHIS assessments | 14,259 in 2022/23 | 14,732 in 2023/24 | +3.3% |
| Scottish businesses awaiting assessment | 8,810 at end-2023 | 9,153 at end-2024 | Backlog count |
Scotland’s FHIS assessments are part of a different scheme and are not directly identical to FHRS ratings. The Scottish waiting count is a backlog measure, not a measure of unsafe businesses. FSA, Our Food 2024
In the FSA survey, among respondents who had checked a rating, 86% looked at the sticker displayed at the business. Takeaways and restaurants were each checked by 70% of respondents who had checked ratings, using a multiple-response question.
Among respondents aware of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, 94% said they would still eat at a restaurant or takeaway rated 4, described as good, while 61% would still eat at one rated 3, described as generally satisfactory. These are stated intentions in hypothetical scenarios.
The FSA Wave 8 business-type table reported rating checks at 84% of restaurants and 65% of takeaways among respondents who checked ratings. The measure is conditional and allows multiple responses, so it should not be interpreted as the share of all consumers or all visits.
Finally, the FSA open-data page listed 613,146 business records in its all-local-authorities English-language dataset at the displayed update of 13 September 2026. That record count reflects participating authorities, businesses in the dataset and the timing of the update; it is not a national hygiene-failure rate. FSA, Food and You 2: Wave 8 Key Findings and FSA, UK food hygiene rating data API