What are 20 facts about a foodborne illness?

Answer 1

1.) Food poisoning is a common occurrence in the U.S., and recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report on what types of foods are causing the most cases.

2.) This means roughly one out of six people in the U.S. will suffer from a food-borne illness each year. This includes 128,000 hospitalizations and 2,000 deaths due to food poisoning.

3.) The new report released by the CDC, which is based on a decade of data, has named leafy greens, such as lettuce and spinach as top sources of food poisoning.

4.) Produce was defined as fruit, nuts, leafy greens and other vegetables. Leafy greens were the most likely to contain food-borne illness, specifically norovirus.

5.) Diary and eggs were found to cause 20 percent of total food-borne illnesses and 15 percent of deaths.

6.) CDC officials make it clear that people should still be eating vegetables despite the report. Most of the veggie-related sicknesses were from food handlers and cooks passing on infection, rather than the food itself. Remember to wash all food and thoroughly cook before eating. Also, though vegetables were responsible for the most illnesses, they were not the most harmful.

7.) Poultry was found to be the cause of 19 percent of fatal cases. Most of them were associated with listeria and salmonella. Meat and poultry together accounted for 29 percent of deaths and 22 percent of illnesses.

8.) Did you know that more than 200 diseases are spread through food?

9.) Contaminated food can cause long-term health problems.

10.) Food-borne diseases hit vulnerable people harder than other groups.

11.) There are many opportunities for food contamination to take place.

12.) Globalization makes food safety more complex and essential.

13.) Food safety is multi-sectorial and multidisciplinary.

14.) Food contamination also affects the economy and society as a whole.

15.) Some harmful bacteria are becoming resistant to drug treatments.

16.) Everybody has a role to play in keeping food safe.

17.) Consumers must be well informed on food safety practices.

18.) Food can get contaminated if it is not cooked thoroughly, especially meat. Eating food that was incorrectly stored or was not reheated sufficiently can cause food poisoning. Consumption of food items which are past their "best before" date can also cause food poisoning.

19.) Raw meat and poultry, raw eggs, unpasteurized milk, raw or undercooked fish or shellfish, uncooked Hot Dogs, luncheon meat and soft cheeses are susceptible to contamination.

20.) Over 250 different foodborne diseases have been identified so far and most are infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites.