Foodborne Illness Complaints
Food can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, toxins, parasites and chemicals.
Eating contaminated food may cause symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea,
nausea and vomiting. Foodborne illnesses, often mistakenly called “food poisoning”,
can range from mild to severe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
estimates that each year 76 million Americans get sick, more than 300,000 are
hospitalized, and 5,000 people die from foodborne related illnesses.
Common Causes of Foodborne Illnesses
Included here is a list of ten common causes of foodborne illness. See the resources
below for more detailed information about these and other possible causes of foodborne
illness.
Food Establishment Complaint
If you would like to report a possible foodborne illness, please contact the
Communicable Disease Program at 425.339.5278 for a brief phone interview. If
you would like to file a food establishment complaint that is not related to
any illness, visit our
Food Safety
site.
Contact Info:
Phone: 425.339.5278
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Resources:
List of Foodborne Illness Resources
Last Reviewed and updated
1/5/2010