Food Borne Illness Brought to you by Mrs. Bean – Lompoc High School

What is food borne illness? A food borne illness is a disease that is transmitted to humans by food. Recent developments in diagnosing and tracking reported illnesses have helped the public become more aware that certain types of illness may be related to the food they ate prior to becoming sick.

Some foods make you sick because they are rotten or have toxins Some foods make you sick because they are rotten or have toxins. But mostly people get sick from foods because we prepare them wrong – which allows bacteria to grow.

Most people will have mild symptoms if they have a food borne illness (some people call this food poisoning) But some groups of people are considered very high risk and could get very sick, or even die.

Symptoms of Food Borne Illness… Are felt either right away, or (surprise!) up to 3 weeks after you have eaten the food. Do not need to be felt by all the people who ate the food to be food borne illness Typical Symptoms: upset stomach, nausea, throwing up, diarrhea, stomach cramps If they last longer than 3 days, see your doctor.

All people are at risk of food borne illness We estimate that food borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year.

Who is Seriously At Risk Who is Seriously At Risk? Our immune system helps fight infection, but the immune systems of Infants and children, in particular, produce less acid in their stomachs, making it easier for them to get sick.  For pregnant women, the fetus is at risk because it does not have a fully developed immune system. For elderly individuals, poor nutrition, lack of protein in the diet, and poor blood circulation may result in a weakened immune system.   Those with immuno-compromised systems, such as diabetics, cancer patients, AIDS patients, and people on antibiotics are at greater risk.

Who?

How does food become hazardous? Food becomes hazardous by contamination. Contamination is the unintended presence of harmful substances or microorganisms in food.

There are three typical ways to make your food unsafe… Chemical Hazard Physical Hazard Biological Hazard

Chemical hazards: Chemical hazards include substances such as cleaning solutions and sanitizers. Physical hazards: Physical hazards are foreign particles, like glass or metal. Biological hazards: Biological hazards come mainly from microorganisms.

Biological Contaminants are the ones which are hardest to control You can easily store your chemicals away from your food – and be careful how they are used. You probably think about things like broken glass, or stray toothpicks. BUT -

Biological Contaminants Can’t be Seen… so you really have to THINK!!!

Check for your understanding Without looking at notes… List three types of people who are at risk of serious illness from food borne illness? What is an example of a chemical hazard? What is an example of a physical hazard? What are biological contaminants? List three symptoms of food borne illness.