Prevent Foodborne Illness: Essential Tips to Stay Safe Amid Nationwide Outbreaks

In light of several recent foodborne illness outbreaks across the country, there are proactive measures you can adopt to safeguard your loved ones from falling ill.

Salmonella has emerged as a frequent culprit, impacting 27 states in this latest outbreak.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 345 individuals have suffered from sickness, and many have required hospitalization. Authorities are currently investigating a potential connection to jalapenos used by Chipotle and Qdoba restaurant chains.

These jalapenos, sourced from Mexico, have been pulled from the menus of these eateries as a precautionary measure.

These incidents highlight the ongoing challenge of foodborne diseases, which seem to be particularly rampant this summer. The Food and Drug Administration is currently probing at least 10 parasitic outbreaks since the beginning of July.

One of the largest is a Cyclospora outbreak, which has been linked to recalled lettuce also grown in Mexico. Others include E. coli, listeria and clostridium botulinum found in baby formula.

Experts say there are things you can do and watch for to protect yourself.

“I do think when you go out to eat, if anything looks unhealthy, it doesn’t look like… meat (is) cooked fully or you see evidence of spoilage on any type of produce – those are all things to bring awareness to the manager or whoever it is that served you the food and say maybe this isn’t the right thing to be eating today,” said Dr. Shruti Gohil, with UCI Health Epidemiology and Infection Prevention.

If you’re eating out, it’s recommended that you order foods like chicken, eggs, ground meats like hamburger and fish well done. Also ask your server if they used pasteurized eggs before ordering things like hollandaise sauce, caesar dressing or custards.

Avoid lukewarm food from buffets that may have been sitting out too long.

In general, if something feels wrong with your food, doctors say you should send it back and ask to speak to a manager.