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© 2007, Lee Tarte Wallace
CDC estimates that there are 76 million cases of food poisoning each year nationwide. Of those cases, about 325,000 result in someone being hospitalized, and about 5,000 result in death.
When food-processing companies or restaurants ignore sanitation procedures, their customers may wind up eating contaminated food. People who become ill from eating food that was negligently prepared may have a legal case for the damages they incur.
Food can become contaminated at any point along the chain: animals can harbor microbes, vegetables can be sprayed with contaminated water, food can be improperly stored or prepared, and persons handling the food can use poor hygiene.
Most parasites, viruses and bacteria are killed by heating food to an internal temperature above 160 degrees F, or 78 degrees C, although some bacteria, like the Clostridium bacteria, are killed only at temperatures above boiling.
Food poisoning can take days to develop, depending on the type of bacteria or parasite that is ingested. The University of California-Davis notes: “Eating a substance and getting sick immediately afterwards is not the typical course for food poisoning. Most people are not aware that food eaten several days previously can be the cause of food poisoning.”
Foodborne illnesses
The Bad Bug Book (Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, Food and Drug Administration)
Foodborne Infections
Frequently Asked Questions (CDC, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control)
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (regulates food)
'Center for Science in the Public Interest (information on food and food additives)
Government food safety information
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Fact Sheet on Foodborne Illnesses (NIAID, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease)
National Agricultural Library (publications and abstracts) (USDA, United States Department of Agriculture)
Achievements in Public Health, 1900-1999: Safer and Healthier Foods (CDC, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control)
PubMed (NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine)
(then enter specific searches)
Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal (CDC)
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© 2007, Lee Tarte Wallace
The contents of this page: (a) should not be considered or relied upon as legal, financial or other professional advice in any manner whatsoever, and (b) may be considered advertising under some state’s Bar Rules. Unless otherwise stated, no article or text at this Internet site is, has been, or will be updated or revised for accuracy as statutory or case law changes following the date of first publication. Always consult with your lawyer and/or your other professional advisors before acting.
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