preview

A Report On Foodborne Illness Essay

Better Essays

Despite specific populations being at greater risk for ill health or mortality related to foodborne illness—advance-aged adults, pregnant women, children/infants, and persons with a weakened immune system secondary to a medical condition—all food consumers are susceptible to foodborne illness. Prior to inspection or regulatory requirements and food safety, many people became ill or died from unsanitary conditions, unclean food, and foodborne illness. According to the CDC, foodborne illness is estimated to be the cause of nearly 9,000 deaths each year as well as 6 to 81 million illnesses. It is now known that viruses, bacteria, parasites, and toxins exist in food, which heightens greater urgency for food safety. Viruses, bacteria, parasites, and toxins are not visible to the human eye. Heating or cooking to extreme temperatures and reducing risk for cross-contamination are a few ways to either reduce the growth or eliminate these pathogens from food. Furthermore, providing a nutrition label on each food item with all ingredients can help consumers make an informed decision on what items to eat, how much to eat, and food items to avoid. For example, a person diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus may control his/her blood glucose levels through dietary habits throughout the day by practicing carbohydrate-counting and meal planning. This individual may utilize nutrition facts labels by determining the exact portion of a food item and how many grams of total carbohydrate

Get Access