When a person becomes ill with a foodborne disease, he or she may be part of an outbreak -- a cluster of patients who all have the same illness after consuming the same food -- or may have a sporadic illness -- an illness that is not part of a recognized outbreak. Investigations of outbreaks can rapidly determine the source and nature of the illness and identify the control measures needed. However, most persons have sporadic illnesses and these sporadic illnesses often are not diagnosed or identified as being caused by food. Even if they are recognized as being foodborne, it is usually not possible, for single cases, to determine which food is the source of the infection.

The quality of food, and controls used to prevent foodborne diseases, are primarily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and local public health authorities. These diseases may be occupationally related if they affect the food processors (e.g., poultry processing workers), food preparers and servers (e.g., cooks, waiters), or workers who are provided food at the worksite. Foodborne disease is addressed in specific standards for the general and construction industries. This page highlights OSHA standards related to foodborne disease.

The food supply in the United States is remarkably safe. Nevertheless, food can become contaminated with a variety of germs. After eating contaminated food, people can develop anything from a short, mild illness, often mistakenly referred to as "food poisoning," to life-threatening disease. CDC estimates that 76 million Americans get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 people die from foodborne illnesses each year.Foodborne diseases are the illnesses contracted from eating contaminated food or beverages. Illnesses include foodborne intoxications and infections, which are often incorrectly referred to as food poisoning. There are more than 250 different foodborne diseases. They are caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxins, metals, and prions. Symptoms of foodborne illness range from mild gastroenteritis to life-threatening neurologic, hepatic, and renal syndromes.

FD can be caused by bacteria, parasites, toxins, and viruses. Bacterial causes are common. Viruses are likely the most common cause but are seldom investigated and confirmed because of the short duration and self-limited nature of the illness. In addition, the inherent difficulty of laboratory investigation and subsequent cost of viral studies lead to a lack of clinician evaluation and therefore overall underreporting. Despite efforts to investigate FD, less than one half of all sources of outbreaks are identified.

Infectious diseases spread through food or beverages are a common, distressing, and sometimes life-threatening problem for millions of people in the United States and around the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventio (CDC) estimates 76 million people suffer from foodborne illnesses each year in the United States, accounting for 325,000 hospitalizations and more than 5,000 deaths. Foodborne disease is extremely costly. Health experts estimate that the yearly cost of all foodborne diseases in this country is 5 to 6 billion dollars in direct medical expenses and lost productivity.

Almost one-third of all infectious diseases reported in Ireland can be transmitted through food, Safefood has said. It has just launched a major new study, which will be the first in the world to use comprehensive DNA fingerprinting to estimate the level of food borne infections. “When people think about infectious diseases, they tend to think about diseases like TB, but research consistently shows three out of 10 infectious diseases are caused by infectious agents transmissible through food”, commented Dr Cliodhna Foley Nolan of Safefood.






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