Food-borne Illness
Food is the basic necessity of every human being. It has evolved into many forms, making it easier for people and animals to consume them. However, there are still circumstances wherein food can cause not only harm to people, but also deaths. One way by which this can occur, is through food-borne illnesses and diseases. Food-borne illness, or more commonly known as food poisoning, is an illness that is caused by consuming food that are contaminated with bacteria and chemicals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).
Food-borne Disease Outbreaks
Food-borne illnesses are conditions that people should not take lightly because though these diseases may seem to have less severe effects, this can be fetal if not given with immediate attention. One of the most recent food-borne illness outbreaks in the United States happened in 36 states. This Salmonella Poona outbreak has caused 4 fatalities and 767 infected across the 36 states in the country (Siegner, 2015). According to experts, the bacteria has been found to come from cucumbers. This very matter is what makes it very important for people to take food-borne illnesses seriously, because one moment, only one person is infected, but the next minutes, more people will also surely be infected when the situation is not handled properly and taken care of immediately. This outbreak could have been prevented if only people become more observant and aware of the shelf life of the food that they consume. Another way by which people could also avoid these circumstances is through proper food handling. This will ensure that the food that goes inside peoples bodies are clean and are safe to be eaten. Lastly, another way by which people could avoid further cases of food-borne illnesses is just by observing the expiration date of the food before they consume it. Because of the outbreak, the officers from the California health department recalled every batch of the garden cucumber that has caused the outbreak.
Food Safety
It is important for every manufacturing company, farmers, and all other people involved in food production to practice proper sanitation and proper food handling in order to avoid the case mentioned above. Workers in manufacturing companies should observe proper hygiene and attire when working, in order to avoid possible chances of food contamination. Through practice safety and sanitation standards, companies surely wouldn’t need to worry about losing profit or worse, closure, if they observe proper standards, and maintain the quality of their products.
References
Siegner, C. (2015, October 14). CDC Update: 4 Deaths, 767 Salmonella Cases in 36 States Linked to Cucumbers. Retrieved August 30, 2016, from http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/10/1-death-more-than-300-confirmed-salmonella-cases-in-27-states-linked-to-mexican-cucumbers/#.V8gZBDWI9mw
Foodborne Germs and Illnesses. (2015). Retrieved August 30, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html
