1. What is Foodborne Illness?
Do you know what foodborne illness is? This presentation will define foodborne illness and briefly review some important facts about this type of illness.

2. Foodborne Illness AKA – foodborne disease What is it?
illness resulting from the consumption of food
commonly known as food poisoning,
can be caused by consuming a food contaminated with a chemical or natural toxin, or pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites)
contamination can occur before, during, and after food preparation
Foodborne illness is also known as foodborne disease and is an illness that results from consuming a food that has been contaminated with a chemical, natural toxin, or pathogen. This contamination can occur at any stage of the food cycle, including when the food is being grown/raised, harvested/slaughtered, transported, purchased by the consumer, and prepared for consumption by the consumer.

3. How Many Are There? There are more than 250 known foodborne illnesses.
There are more than 250 foodborne illnesses that are currently known. There may be even more.

4. What Are the Most Common Causes of Foodborne Illness?
Those caused by the bacteria:
Campylobacter
Salmonella
E. coli O157:H7
Those caused by a group of viruses:
Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses
While there are more than 250 known foodborne illnesses, a few are the most common culprits causing foodborne illnesses. These include three kinds of bacteria and one group of viruses.

5. What Foods Are Most Likely to be Contaminated?
raw meat and poultry
raw eggs (even in uncooked brownie, cake, or cookie dough)
unpasteurized milk
raw shellfish
unwashed raw fruits and vegetables
unpasteurized fruit juice
The foods that are at the highest risk of being contaminated and thus cause foodborne illnesses include raw meat and poultry (chicken), raw eggs, unpasteurized milk and fruit juice, raw shellfish, and unwashed raw produce.

6. How Do You Know If You Have Foodborne Illness?
Onset of symptoms can occur in hours to days of food consumption
known as the incubation period
Symptoms vary
mild to severe (requiring hospitalization)
Common symptoms include:
diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea
Determining if the illness you have is related to what you ate or something else can be difficult because the onset of symptoms related to foodborne illness can occur in hours to days after eating a contaminated food. Further, symptoms can vary from being very mild GI distress to serious health issues (e.g., liver failure) that require hospitalization. Most commonly foodborne illness causes an array of GI distresses including diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. Ever have that mystery 24-hour flu? It may have been related to something you ate.

7. Am I at Risk?
YES
76 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year in the U.S.
pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and those weakened immune systems are at greater risk for foodborne illness
Even if you are young and healthy, you are at risk. 76 million cases of foodborne illness are reported to occur every year and this does not include the many more causes that go unreported. While everyone is at risk, certain groups, like pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems (e.g., people with HIV, or those undergoing cancer treatment), are at greater risk for getting foodborne illness.

8. What Can I Do? Follow these simple guidelines: CLEAN COOK CHILL
LEFTOVERS
While you are at risk, this doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to reduce this risk. By following four simple guidelines: Clean, Cook, Chill, and Leftovers, you can help improve your food handling behaviors and reduce your risk of getting foodborne illness. You will learn more about these behaviors in the next four lectures.