September is Food Safety Month Week 2: Behind the Kitchen Door: Stories from the Frontlines

Behind the Kitchen Door: Stories from the Frontlines

Welcome back to National Food Safety Month 2024! Last week, we explored the pathogens that most commonly cause foodborne disease in the United States. This week, we’re taking a closer look at what goes on behind the scenes of a foodborne illness outbreak.

But there’s another piece of the puzzle still missing: what happens to restaurants after an outbreak occurs? Is it possible to bounce back from an outbreak and if so, what steps do food service professionals need to take to regain trust? Anonymous stories from past outbreaks help us understand the best way to handle an outbreak. Let’s take a look at some real outbreak scenarios.

When Outbreaks Occur

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that a foodborne illness outbreak occurs when two or more people get the same sickness from the same contaminated food or drink.

Some conditions in restaurants will allow for pathogens to grow to unsafe levels unless those conditions are controlled correctly. Because foodborne pathogens can easily spread without being detected, it’s not uncommon for more than one person to get sick from contaminated food.

This means restaurants are the perfect breeding ground for outbreak conditions – a single mistake could lead to contamination that spreads to dozens or even hundreds of people within hours. Read More