In the United States, an estimated 48 million people get sick and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases each year (CDC, 2018).
With food acting as both a necessary resource to live and a potential hazard when not handled properly, understanding and implementing basic food safety is absolutely crucial. This includes knowing how to handle, prepare, and store food to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.
From production and handling to storage and consumption, everyone along the supply chain must do their part to follow food and safety regulations to better protect public health.
Keep reading to learn important facts about food safety, up-to-date statistics, and common sources of food contamination.
Key Takeaways
- The CDC claims that to prevent food poisoning, you should: wash your hands and surfaces often, avoid cross-contamination, cook to the right temperature, and refrigerate promptly.
- Children younger than 5 years have an increased risk for foodborne illnesses and related health complications. This causes 125,000 deaths every year around the world.
- In low- and middle-income countries, foodborne diseases cause the most food safety problems, leading to an annual productivity loss of $95.2 billion per year and $15 billion in treatment costs.
- An estimated 600 million people worldwide fall ill after eating contaminated food, causing 420,000 deaths every year.
Why Food Safety is Important
Food safety is crucial in protecting public health. But to better understand why, let’s take a look at the effects of food contamination.
Individuals that are exposed to foodborne illnesses are at risk of both short- and long-term health complications, with symptoms ranging from mild discomfort—like diarrhea and vomiting—to life-threatening complications.
It’s also important to note that certain groups of people are more vulnerable to foodborne illnesses than others, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.
That said, many of us have been affected in one way or another by foodborne illnesses, whether we got sick ourselves, had a loved one affected, or heard about a nationwide outbreak on the news.
The romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak is a perfect example of how a foodborne illness can affect thousands of people. Between 2000 and 2020, at least 42 romaine lettuce-associated outbreaks were reported to the CDC’s National Outbreak Reporting System, causing 1,314 illnesses, 365 hospitalizations, and 5 deaths (Colorado State University, n.d.). The recent 2019 outbreak alone resulted in 188 people falling ill, showcasing the importance of food safety and sanitation (FDA, 2020).
In addition to threatening public health, food recall causes a huge financial burden on the economy, including costs related to healthcare, food waste, and productivity losses in the workforce. In the United States, the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that in 2018, the economic burden of 15 major foodborne pathogens was approximately $17.6 billion (USDA, 2023).
For the above reasons, strategies such as preventing cross-contamination, cooking meat to the right internal temperatures, and adopting organic waste management solutions are key to improving overall public health.
5 Key Food Safety Facts
As defined by the USDA, food safety refers to the conditions and practices that preserve the quality of food to prevent contamination and food-borne illnesses (USDA, n.d.).
Since there are a variety of practices that can contribute to proper food safety, here are 5 facts about food safety that everybody should know.
1. There are four steps to food safety.
The CDC claims that to prevent food poisoning, you should: wash your hands and surfaces often, avoid cross-contamination, cook to the right temperature, and refrigerate promptly (CDC, 2024).
2. Freezing food inactivates any microbes present in food.
This includes bacteria, yeasts, and molds present in food. However, once thawed, these microbes can become active again, meaning you should handle thawed foods as you would any other perishable food item (USDA, 2024).
3. You can freeze almost any food.
Exceptions include canned foods and eggs in shells (USDA, 2024). That said, that does not necessarily mean the products maintain their quality, as some products freeze better than others.
4. Unwashed produce is full of germs.
The CDC estimates that germs on fresh produce cause a large percentage of foodborne illnesses in the United States (FoodSafety.gov, n.d.). That’s why it’s advised to always wash produce, even if you’re not going to eat the peel.
5. Cooking food to a proper internal temperature kills its bacteria.
Raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F, while poultry should reach 165°F (USDA, 2020). That said, bacteria can be reintroduced to food after cooking, meaning proper storage is crucial.
5 Statistics on Foodborne Illnesses
So, what should you know about foodborne illnesses?
Let’s start with the basics—how you get it. To get a foodborne illness, all you have to do is consume contaminated food or beverages. The symptoms are sometimes described as flu-like, causing many people to not even realize they’ve been contaminated by food.
That said, these harmful germs can also lead to hospitalization and death, posing a huge threat to society. With a large variety of disease-causing pathogens and various factors that affect a person’s reaction to them, everybody responds differently to contaminated food.
To better understand the harsh reality of foodborne illnesses—and to complement the food safety facts above—let’s now explore important statistics about foodborne illnesses.
1. Unsafe food can cause more than 200 diseases.
Food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances creates a cycle of disease and malnutrition, with diseases ranging from diarrhea to cancer (World Health Organization, 2024).
2. 40% of foodborne diseases occur among children under 5 years old.
Children younger than 5 years have an increased risk for foodborne illnesses and related health complications. This causes 125,000 deaths every year around the world (World Health Organization, 2024).
3. Foodborne diseases impact vulnerable groups disproportionately.
In low- and middle-income countries, foodborne diseases cause the most food safety problems, leading to an annual productivity loss of $95.2 billion and $15 billion in treatment costs (World Health Organization, 2024).
4. About 1 in 10 people in the world are affected by contaminated food.
An estimated 600 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food, causing 420,000 deaths every year (World Health Organization, 2024).
5. Norovirus causes the most foodborne illnesses each year.
In the United States, the top 5 pathogens causing the most foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths each year are: Norovirus, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter spp, and Staphylococcus aureus. Of these, Norovirus contributes to an estimated 5,461,731 illnesses each year (CDC, 2018).
Common Sources of Food Contamination
One of the best ways to prevent foodborne illness is to understand the common culprits.
That said, common causes of foodborne illness include:
- Cross-contamination: Cross-contamination is the transfer of harmful bacteria from one food item to another. This often occurs when the same knife, cutting board, or utensils are used for different foods without proper cleaning. For instance, let’s say you cut raw chicken and then use the same knife to prepare a fresh salad; the harmful pathogens from the raw meat could then be transferred to your salad. To prevent this, you should clean surfaces and utensils between uses, ensure proper food storage, and wash your hands after handling products.
- Wrong cooking temperatures: When food is cooked properly, parasites, viruses, and most bacteria are killed. Alternatively, when food is not cooked to the recommended internal temperature, harmful microorganisms can remain active. That’s why, for example, many people are careful to cook their chicken all the way through. If you want to learn more about this, click here for a comprehensive guide on cooking temperatures.
- Unwashed produce: As mentioned, unwashed produce is full of germs. However, that’s not to say you can’t enjoy uncooked fruits and vegetables. The FDA identifies 7 tips for cleaning fruits and vegetables, which include removing damaged or bruised areas before preparing, gently rubbing produce while holding under plain running water, and drying produce with a clean cloth or paper towel (FDA, 2021).
- Improper storage: When food is not stored properly, bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels. For that reason, one of the tips to increase foodborne safety is to implement proper storage techniques, which include storing food in covered containers, being aware of the temperature danger zone (between 41°F and 140°F), and more. To learn more about food storage, click here.
Food Safety in Restaurants
A study done in 2017 found that restaurants were linked to outbreaks more often than any other place where food was prepared. In 2017 alone, restaurants were associated with 489 outbreaks, with 48% of these occurring at establishments with sit-down dining (CDC, 2019).
That said, while everyone throughout the supply chain must focus on proper food handling, restaurant food safety is especially critical. To prevent foodborne illnesses, restaurants should follow strict food safety guidelines, many of which address the sources of food contamination mentioned above.
This includes:
- Sanitizing surfaces after they’ve been used
- Separating raw and cooked foods
- Monitoring food temperatures
- Refrigerating and storing food properly
- Cleaning produce thoroughly
- Washing hands
In addition to protecting customers, these measures are put in place to ensure compliance with health regulations. These standards are established by government agencies responsible for food safety, who focus on enforcing standards to promote public health.
Another basic food safety tip not yet mentioned is the necessity of proper food waste disposal. This is because poor waste management can attract pests, lead to cross-contamination, and affect overall hygiene and cleanliness.
While waste management technically includes sending waste to landfills, restaurants can explore more sustainable solutions, such as composting, anaerobic digestion, and turning food waste into animal feed.
Conclusion
This article’s facts about food safety offer valuable insight into why food safety and sanitation are important. To prevent illness and promote public health, we’re all responsible for adopting safe handling, cooking, and storage techniques, whether we’re cooking at home, running a restaurant, or working in the food industry.
If your business prioritizes food safety, we encourage you to explore the benefits of organic waste management. In addition to preventing contamination, waste management approaches like composting help businesses reduce their environmental footprint.
At Shapiro, we’ll create a tailored organic waste management solution for your business.
To learn more about our services, contact us today.
Baily Ramsey, an accomplished marketing specialist, brings a unique blend of anthropological insight and marketing finesse to the digital landscape. Specializing in educational content creation, she creates content for various industries, with a particular interest in environmental initiatives.
