Foodborne Illness Numbers
Many of us have had “food poisoning” before or at least know someone who has. We’ve also all heard stories in the news about a foodborne illness outbreak or how some people got sick from a particular restaurant. But how often does it happen and how serious can it be? Here are some numbers you should know:
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Each Year –
- 48 million people get sick from foodborne illnesses.
- 128,000 are hospitalized.
- 3,000 die from foodborne diseases.
Which Means:
- Reducing foodborne illness by just 1% would keep almost 500,000 people from getting sick each year.
- Reducing foodborne illness by 10% would keep close to 5 million people from getting sick.
If you got your Texas Food Handler certificate from Certified On The Fly, you have all the tools you need to help make this happen! Since the FDA estimates that 2% to 3% of all food poisoning leads to secondary long-term illnesses like arthritis, kidney failure, and meningitis, keeping the numbers as low as possible is especially important.
250 Foodborne Diseases Have Been Identified. Here Are the 5 Most Frequent Instigators:
- Norovirus
- Salmonella
- Clostridium perfringens
- Campylobacter
- Staphylococcus aureus
Less Common, But More Serious:
- Clostridium botulinum (botulism)
- Listeria
- Escherichia coli (E. coli) – most often in leafy greens and beef
- Vibrio
Regardless of how weird the germs sound, where they come from, or what they do, the same good practices prevent all of them. Most of these practices, such as effective and frequent hand washing and not going to work when you’re sick, are simple.
Get Texas Food Handler Certified with Certified On The Fly
Want to learn more about foodborne illness and how to keep yourself, your coworkers, and your customers safe? Certified On The Fly has you covered. Our course is self-paced, super-fast, only $9.99, and doesn’t have a test. Sign up today!
Certified On The Fly is a leading provider of online Texas Food Handler training licensed and accredited by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Back to Blog