Have you ever suffered from a food-borne ailment?

We all need to eat food, whether we eat it at home or outside. Whatever the quality (and cost) of the food, there is always a possibility that anyone can get some kind of food borne illness. This can occur no matter how and when and where. It must be rare that nobody has suffered from a food related illness at any time of their lives. Bacteria and viruses thrive on food and often food safety is compromised due to myriad reasons. Sometimes you don’t even know what is responsible for the problem.

What is worse is when foods and food products sold by reputed companies and manufacturers are recalled. This really shakes people’s confidence in bought foods, which are supposed to be safe to eat. A study conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP that consisted of an online survey showed that 57 percent of the people polled stopped eating certain foods due to recalls either temporarily or permanently. On the whole people do feel that foods in the U.S. are generally safe, though more than 50 percent do have apprehensions about food safety from meat producers and even restaurants. People also feel that foods that come from China or Mexico are not very safe.

Food recalls

Manufactured foods can be recalled due to a variety of reasons that include the presence of contaminants in the food, mislabeling or branding mistakes or the presence of allergens in the foods. Among recent food recalls are:

Almonds have been recalled due to high levels of cyanide.

Bean Sprouts contaminated by Listeria resulted in two deaths and three hospitalization cases.

Raw Macadamia Nuts made by various manufacturers were contaminated by Salmonella.

Mexican style dairy products were contaminated with Listeria causing at least one death.

Some products made with pre-cooked rice contained a toxin called Bacillus cereus linked to vomiting.

Fresh cilantro was contaminated with Salmonella.

By Alexander James

Beau Alexander James: Beau, a mental health advocate, shares personal stories, coping strategies, and promotes mental health awareness and understanding.