We wanted to share with everyone about a company called Keep Food Safe is an organization founded to support those who have been poisoned and made ill by food that they trusted from other parties. No matter how many stages food must goes through to make it to the consumer: from the provider, to the transporters, to the stores, or to a restaurant, people have a right to trust the food they eat, and for their health to not be jeopardized.
Most of us have gotten sick from food poisoning before, but in the worst cases people can be hospitalized or worse as a result of their symptoms.
Keep Food Safe is dedicated to educating the public on current food outbreaks, as well as safe practices for food service companies, and consumers. By stopping outbreaks sooner and educating others, we can continue to trust the food we consume.
Naturally, with the production and handling of food, there are many laws to ensure safety, and health. However, these laws are sometimes side-stepped or not followed, when companies prioritize profit over consumer safety. This needs to be addressed, and is the reason why Keep Food Safe exists. According to the CDC, in the US 48 million people get sick each year from foodborne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die. In every case, these illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths are completely preventable. Everyone involved from the consumer, the law makers, the legal system, and most importantly the food handlers need to work together to keep food safe for everyone.Â
What Is Food Poisoning?
You can get food poisoning from viruses or bacteria that cause an infection in your digestive tract. There are millions of cases of food poisoning in the United States each year, most of which result in symptoms similar to stomach flu. Symptoms of food poisoning include:
Stomach cramps
Nausea and vomiting
Watery or bloody diarrhea
Fever
Bloating and gas
Headaches
Causes of Food Poisoning
The most common foods that can cause food poisoning are mishandled at some point in the supply chain to market or by food preparers. Raw vegetables, fruit, grains, or products made from them, such as leafy greens, sprouts, and flour, are often sources of food poisoning.
Raw and undercooked food from animals, such as meat, poultry, eggs, unpasteurized milk, and seafood, are also common causes of food poisoning. This includes frozen products or other prepared foods that contain these ingredients.
Any food can carry germs that cause food poisoning, as contamination can occur at any point in the food production chain. Cross-contamination can also lead to food poisoning, such as when someone cutting raw chicken uses the same cutting board for vegetables without properly washing it first.
Types of Food Poisoning
You often hear about food poisoning cases involving E. Coli and salmonella, many other types of bacteria and viruses can also cause food poisoning. Some of the most common include:
Botulism is a rare but severe illness caused by toxins that attack the nervous system.
Campylobacter is a bacteria that is a leading cause of diarrhea.
Cyclospora is a tiny parasite that can lead to cyclosporiasis.
E. Coli is short for Escherichia coli, a type of bacteria. In most cases, it is harmless and lives in our guts to help digest food, but other strains can be deadly. These strains most commonly contain a bacteria called Shiga.
Hepatitis AÂ is a virus that causes the highly contagious liver infection.
Legionnaires' Disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by contaminated water.
Listeria are bacteria that can lead to listeriosis.
Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States. It is highly contagious and spreads through contaminated food, water, or surfaces.
Salmonella is a bacteria that can lead to an infection called salmonellosis, though many refer to the condition itself as salmonella.
Shigella bacteria can cause an infection called shigellosis. It is very contagious and spreads through infected food, swallowing small amounts of stool from an infected person, or drinking or swimming in infected waters.
Vibrio are bacteria found primarily in shellfish and seawater. They can cause vibriosis, commonly from eating raw or undercooked seafood.
These viruses and bacteria may result from poor food handling, contamination in water used to clean crops, unsanitary conditions in food processing plants, and several other factors. Ask your doctor to ensure that the germ that made you ill is part of your medical records. If you decide to sue, your foodborne illness attorney can use that information to help your case.
Dangers of Food Poisoning
Most symptoms of food poisoning go away after a few days as your body purges itself of toxins. However, there are complications of food poisoning that result in long-term illnesses and that are sometimes fatal.
Food poisoning in pregnant women can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth. The bacteria listeria is particularly dangerous, as it can cause neurological damage and death in newborns.
Some foodborne bacteria and viruses lead to brain and nervous system damage. Campylobacter can cause Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which leads to muscle weakness and numbness.
Listeria and E. coli can lead to meningitis, a serious illness that causes inflammation of the protective layers around your spinal cord and brain. E. coli can also cause kidney damage or failure or lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome which affects the kidney’s blood vessels.
Some people with food poisoning develop chronic arthritis or joint damage. Salmonella and campylobacter bacteria are linked to these health problems.
Food poisoning can happen to anyone, but the elderly, pregnant women, children, and people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk and face a higher risk of becoming very ill.
For more information please contact: Sharon Lynx at Keep Food Safe
Website: https://keepfoodsafe.org/
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EMAILÂ pr@keepfoodsafe.org
 Information provided by: © KeepFoodSafe.Â