The FDA has released an interactive employee health tool designed to help food service managers determine if and when an employee should be restricted or excluded from working with food because of a diagnosis of one of the “Big 5” pathogens – Norovirus, Hepatitis A virus, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella spp., and E. coli 0157:H7 (including other enterohemorrhagic E. coli strains),…
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Don’t Let This FBI Paralyze You!
Not many people contract botulism, but when they do it can often be deadly if not treated. The illness is caused by a toxin, and even tiny amounts can cause paralysis, including paralysis of the breathing muscles. With antitoxin and other treatment, and the help of a “breathing machine,” the paralysis usually goes away within weeks, or in severe cases,…
A Snapshot of Botulism
Not many people contract botulism, but when they do it can often be deadly if not treated. The illness is caused by a toxin produced by a bacterium that grows in places with low oxygen. Canned foods that become contaminated before being sealed are often the culprit. It is rarely apparent that a food contains this bacterium, although a swollen…
FBI of the Month: Cyclospora
To help you stay informed and keep your employees, customers and business safe, Elara profiles a different FBI monthly as part of our series “FBI of the Month”. Each month, we profile the following attributes of a chosen foodborne illness (FBI): illness name, background of the illness, mortality statistics, infective dose, onset period, complications, symptoms, duration and prevention. We hope…
Cyclo Who?
You might have heard the name Cyclospora this summer. If you have eaten fresh produce and gotten seriously ill you most certainly have heard the name. Cyclospora used to be rare in the United States but this summer over 600 hundred cases across 23 states have been diagnosed thus far. The first cases were diagnosed in Iowa, with 156 cases,…
Food Allergen Awareness
As part of this year’s annual National Food Safety Month, the National Restaurant Association is calling special attention to allergen awareness. With over 15 million Americans living with some type of food allergy, many of them children, it is important that we are aware of the potential dangers incorrect preparation might have. According to the National Restaurant Association, the majority…
Cyclospora and the Fruit and Vegetable Patch
In the last 20 years the United States has seen two large Cyclospora outbreaks. The first outbreak was 17 years ago, relating to Guatemalan raspberries that both the U. S. and Canada had imported. In the end, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and Health Canada in Ottawa would confirm a total of 1,465 cases of…
September is Hunger Action Month
September means a lot of things to families, such as the start of the school year or that Fall is just around the corner. But for over 14% of American households, September means another month without enough food. That’s roughly 1 out of every 6 households in America experiencing food insecurity, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, a…
Public Concern Over Food Safety On The Rise
According to a recent report by Chicago-based, food industry research firm Technomic, 40% of American consumers are “extremely concerned” about food safety issues in the restaurants they frequent. This report highlights a growing trend over the past two years of increasing concern with the perceived level of food safety in restaurants. The data gathered provides insight into how different demographic…
Summer Outbreak Update: Cryptosporidiosis and Cyclosporasis
Summer is nearing an end but outbreaks related to summer activities and food safety are still in full swing. Two recent outbreaks in the mid-west United States highlight the need to continue to take proper steps to protect yourself and your family. Cryptosporidiosis Cryptosporidiosis is the parasitic disease caused by cryptosporidium. The disease results in a short-term, intestinal infection and…
