Foodborne Outbreaks

There is no doubt that food is a fundamental need to stay alive, however it can be the reason for serious diseases and in some cases it can cause death. That happens when the food safety procedures, which ensure that our food is healthy and safe to be consumed, are not implemented in an accurate way. In fact, one of the most dangerous phenomena in which food safety precautions are not taken seriously is named foodborne outbreak. It is defined as a food poisoning that causes a particular disorder or disease to a group of people after they eat the same food. In this term paper, I will write about two recent foodborne outbreaks that took place in 2015. Furthermore, I will highlight the reasons that led to their occurrence, and the actions that

Strangely enough, only the branches in the United States were the reason of several foodborne outbreaks. Storm (2015) reports that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), forty-five people from six states were infected by E. Coli O157:H7 after eating from Chipotle restaurant chain between October 19th and November 8th. Thirteen cases were in Oregon, 2 in Minnesota, 2 in New York, 1 in Ohio and 26 in Washington State. Sifferlin (2015) states that E. Coli is a kind of bacteria that lives in the intestines of animals and humans. However, some strains of it cause diseases or may even cause death if it is present in a contaminated food. Health officials suspect slaughterhouses of being the source of meat contamination. At slaughterhouses, meat can become contaminated with dangerous bacteria such as E. Coli when it comes to contact with blood or feces. The meat should be cooked to a high enough temperature to kill any pathogen that might exist in it. Actually, undercooked ground meat is not the only food that can be contaminated by E. Coli. This dangerous bacteria can be present in fruits or vegetables that are washed by contaminated water, or when animal feces come in contact with crops. Moreover, it can be present in unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses. E. Coli O157:H7 is one of the most dangerous strains of E. Coli. It causes a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome, and it is lethal especially for children (Sifferlin,