This is a list of
foodborne illness
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease ...
outbreak
In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
s. A foodborne illness may be from an
infectious disease
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...
,
heavy metals,
chemical contamination, or from natural toxins, such as those found in
poisonous mushrooms.
Deadliest
*
List of foodborne illness outbreaks by death toll
Canada
*
2008 Canada listeriosis outbreak
The 2008 Canadian listeriosis outbreak was a widespread outbreak of listeriosis in Canada linked to cold cuts from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto, Ontario. There were 57 total confirmed cases, resulting in 23 deaths.
Origin and spread
List ...
China
*
2008 Chinese milk scandal
The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a significant food safety incident in China. The scandal involved Sanlu Group's milk and infant formula along with other food materials and components being adulterated with the chemical melamine, which res ...
Germany
*
2011 ''Escherichia coli'' O104:H4 outbreak
Japan
*
Minamata disease
Minamata disease is a neurological disease caused by severe mercury poisoning. Signs and symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extrem ...
*
Niigata Minamata disease
is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Identical in symptoms to the original outbreak of Minamata disease in Kumamoto Prefecture, the second outbreak in Niigata Prefecture was confirmed with the same name in 1965. The ...
* 1996 Japan ''E. coli'' O157:H7
Spain
* 1981
Toxic oil syndrome
Toxic oil syndrome
(TOS) or simply toxic syndrome (Spanish: ''síndrome del aceite tóxico'' or ''síndrome tóxico'') is a musculoskeletal disease. A 1981 outbreak in Spain which affected about 20,000 people, with over 300 dying within a few m ...
United Kingdom
*
2005 outbreak of ''E.coli'' O157 in South Wales
* 1996 outbreak of ''E. coli'' O157 in Lanarkshire, Scotland
*
Loch Maree Hotel botulism poisoning
United States
In 1999, an estimated 5,000 deaths, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 76 million illnesses were caused by foodborne illnesses within the US.
Illness outbreaks lead to
food recalls.
See also
*
List of foodborne illness outbreaks by death toll
*
1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
*
Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome
*
List of food contamination incidents
Food may be accidentally or deliberately contaminated by microbiological, chemical or physical hazards. In contrast to microbiologically caused foodborne illness, the link between exposure and effect of chemical hazards in foods is usually complic ...
*
List of medicine contamination incidents
The following list encompasses notable medicine contamination and adulteration incidents.
*1937 Elixir sulfanilamide incident: S. E. Massengill Company used diethylene glycol as the solvent for the antibacterial sulfanilamide, leading to the 193 ...
References
{{Consumer Food Safety
Disease outbreaks
*
*
foodborne
Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease ...
Public health-related lists