Poultry leads latest list of food-poison sources
Aug-14-2010

Cooking chicken on the grill this summer? Be careful. Poultry is still the leading culprit in food poisoning outbreaks, health officials said yesterday.

Poultry accounted for 17 percent of reported food-borne illness outbreaks. Beef caused 16 percent and vegetables 14 percent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report covers outbreaks in 2007. Bacteria such as salmonella caused about half of the outbreaks; viruses such as norovirus about 40 percent; mushroom toxin or chemical agents about 7 percent; and parasites, 1 percent. Outbreaks can be caused by an infected person contaminating the food. Food may be left out at room temperature for hours, allowing bacteria to multiply. Or it may not be cooked enough.

The CCD counted more than 21,000 illnesses and 18 deaths in about 1,100 outbreaks.

But experts say only about 5 percent of people who get food poisoning are part of a recognized outbreak.

Posted by Clay Kohut at 12:00 AM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print