A Food borne illness is any illness caused by consuming foods or beverages contaminated with disease-causing microorganisms, hazardous chemicals or physical hazards. A food borne disease outbreak is when two or more people have the same illness after eating the same food. The food service industry regularly experiences tremendous financial losses due to food borne illness. Such losses can be significantly reduced, however, through knowledge and education.

Food borne illness and outbreaks are associated with such behaviors as poor personal hygiene, time and temperature abuse and cross contamination. These topics will be discussed in a later section. A food handler must report to their employer if they are diagnosed with,exposed to or exhibiting symptoms from Norovirus, hepatitis A virus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp. or shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.

Are you interested in making the switch to organic foods? If you are, you may want to first verify that you are making the right decision. You likely already know the many benefits to eating organic foods, as these benefits are often prominently displayed and advertised. With that being said, we rarely hear the disadvantages to eating organic foods.

One of the few disadvantages to eating organic foods is the cost. Do you know how much most organic foods costs? If not, you may first want to examine those costs before you make the decision to switch to organic foods. There is nothing worse than being blindsided or surprised with the cost of organic foods. After a close look, you will see that organic foods do cost a little bit more money, but that increase in cost can add up overtime.