But people who take care to handle food safely can help keep themselves
healthy.
To Your Health!
Americans enjoy one of the safest most healthful food supplies in the world. But a lot has changed over our lifetime—from the way food is produced and distributed, to the way it is prepared and eaten.
The good news is that well-known saying — "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"— remains true. Preventing the growth of dangerous microorganisms in food is the key to reducing the millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths each year.
You may already know a lot about how to prevent illness from mishandled food. When it comes to staying safe, you can never know too much.
A lot has changed in the way food is produced and distributed. It used to be that food was produced close to where people lived. Many people shopped daily, and prepared and ate their food at home. Eating in restaurants was saved for special occasions. Today, food in your local grocery store comes from all over the world. And nearly 50 percent of the money we spend on food goes to buy food that others prepare, like "carry out" and restaurant meals.
Another thing that has changed is our awareness and knowledge of illnesses that can be caused by harmful bacteria in food:
Through science, we have discovered new and dangerous bacteria that can be found in food—bacteria we didn't even know about years ago.
Science has also helped us identify illnesses that can be caused by bacteria in food—illnesses we didn't recognize before. Today, for instance, we realize that some illnesses, like some kinds of arthritis, can be traced to foodborne illness.
One of the other things that we know today is that some people are more susceptible to getting sick from bacteria in food.
But people who take care to handle food safely can help keep themselves
healthy.
Some people are more likely to get sick from harmful bacteria that can be found in food. And once they are sick, they face the risk of more serious health problems, even death.
A variety of people may face these special risks—pregnant women and young children, people with chronic illnesses and weakened immune systems and older people, including people over 65.
Why are some people more susceptible to foodborne illness?
Everyone's health is different, including his or her ability to fight off disease.
The immune systems in young children are not fully developed. Therefore, they cannot fight off foodborne infections as effectively as older children or healthy adults.
Our ability to fight foodborne disease also lessens as we age. As people grow older our stomach acid also decreases. Stomach acid plays an important role in reducing the number of bacteria in our intestinal tracts—and the risk of illness.
In addition, underlying illnesses such as diabetes, some cancer treatments, and kidney disease may increase the risk of foodborne illness.
It can be difficult for people to recognize when harmful bacteria in food have made them sick. For instance, it's hard to tell if food is unsafe, because you can't see, smell or taste the bacteria it may contain.
Sometimes people think their foodborne illness was caused by their last meal. In fact, there is a wide range of time between eating food with harmful bacteria and the onset of illness. Usually foodborne bacteria take 1 to 3 days to cause illness. But you could become sick anytime from 20 minutes to 6 weeks after eating some foods with dangerous bacteria. It depends on a variety of factors, including the type of bacteria in the food.
Sometimes foodborne illness is confused with other types of illness. If you get foodborne illness, you might be sick to your stomach, vomit, or have diarrhea. Or, symptoms could be flu-like with a fever and headache, and body aches. The best thing to do is check with your doctor. And if you become ill after eating out, also call your local health department so they can investigate.
Foodborne illness can be dangerous, but is often easy to prevent. By following the basic rules of food safety, you can help prevent foodborne illness for yourself and others.
Hypertext revised by UMass Extension 2004-June 18
