Foodborne Illness: Recent Happenings

Food Poisoning! You've heard of it on television and seen it in the news. Maybe you've even experienced a stomach bug on account of some bad catering. But food borne illness can be much worse than a few days spent nauseous or a bad case of diarrhea. Consumption of undercooked and mishandled food has caused serious illnesses and even death. So before you bite into that extra rare burger, let's take a look at some incidents the food service industry would soon like to forget.

Making headlines most recently, the Peanut Corporation of America was shut down after some 600 people became sickened from eating products containing tainted peanuts. The source of their illness was salmonella; a common bacteria that causes typhoid fever as well as the food borne illness salmonellosis. Numerous incidences of infection were reported after consuming peanut butter, as well as cookies and ice cream containing peanuts from the plant.

At the Peanut Corporation plant, FDA officials discovered numerous infractions that led to contamination, including molds, grime and roach infestation. Further documentation showed that the company had previously been aware of poor hygiene at the plant and presence of salmonella; leading officials to believe that the plant may have wantonly shipped infected product to an unsuspecting public. The investigation remains in progress, but the Peanut Corporation of America has since closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy.

Last summer's salomenllosis scandal involved not a processed product, but ordinary tomatoes. Red plum and Roma varieties grown in Mexico caused nearly 150 cases of salomenllosis and several deaths in 17 states.

Two years prior, spinach infected with E.coli had a vegetable buying public shunning the leafy green staple. The FDA released the appropriate warnings in both cases, but grocery-shopping moms, who once celebrated the benefits of spinach, began to reconsider the wisdom in forcing little Jonny and Jayne to finish their vegetables.

China, the world's burgeoning economic superpower, has also become a leading exporter of food-based products. In 2007 shipments of wheat and rice proteins were found to contain large quantities of melamine and cyanuric acid. This combination caused lethal results. The victims were an undetermined number of pets who had consumed pet food containing the contaminated protein.

The next year nearly a quarter million babies became ill and 6 died, after consuming a bottled milk formula also containing melamine. And while manufacturers in both cases claim innocence, it seems likely that melamine was used intentionally to bolster a shoddy product. The FDA has since put safeguards in place by subjecting all Chinese vegetable proteins to inspection. But the stigma swirling around Chinese exports has led many U.S manufacturers to discontinue their use.

Less notorious food related outbreaks of recent past include a 1996 diarrhea outbreak that was traced to Guatemalan raspberries contaminated with the parasite Cyclospora, a 1998 oyster contamination from Galveston, Texas and numerous others that go unnoticed by the major media. On whole an estimated 76 million people in the United States are infected with food borne illnesses every year. That staggering number should serve as a warning to anyone that one can never be overly conscientious when it comes to educating yourself on food's preparation and sources.

But to what degree does awareness really help? What are some day-to-day measures you can undertake in order to keep you food safe?

The FDA recommends that every consumer and home or professional cook follow a few simple rules when handling foods.
Always cook proteins like meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. If you're not sure when something is fully cooked, a meat thermometer can be a reliable way to check and avoid that pink chicken.
Keep things separate. Cross contamination is one very common way that food borne illnesses arise in the home. It's always a good idea to keep veggies and different kinds of meats stored in different areas. Always wash cutting boards and knives between uses and don't return cooked meats to the same surfaces that touched raw ones.
Refrigerate foods and leftovers promptly. Bacteria thrive at room and warm temperatures, so get things stored pronto.
Clean and wash everything. We've already seen that veggies are an all too common source of food borne illness. That doesn't mean you should deprive yourself the many benefits of eating your greens, but it does mean you should wash everything well before use. Wash your hand too, especially if you make a salad immediately after going to the john.

Of course keeping informed is another great way to help prevent the spread of food borne illness and contamination. Be aware of federal and public health warnings and heed them. This does more than just save you and your immediate loved ones the imminent discomfort of diarrhea or worse, it also helps curb the spread of illness in the population.


Remember, the FDA alone can't save you. It's up to you, the individual to help prevent food borne illnesses. So keep aware, keep clean and keep America healthy and safe.