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What are contaminated foods?

A contaminated food is a food that contains microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, parasites, viruses, or toxins produced by microorganisms. A food may also be contaminated by the presence of foreign matter, such as soil, wood fragments, and hairs, or chemical contaminants, such as detergents, pesticides, or other chemical additives.

What are foodborne diseases? (FBDs)

Food-borne diseases are diseases of an infectious or toxic nature, caused by biological, chemical, or physical agents that enter the body using food as a vehicle.

Most common causes of food borne diseases:

Food borne diseases is an expression applied to all diseases acquired through the consumption of contaminated foods. The most common causes are intoxications, or poisoning, and infections.

Infection: occurs through the consumption of food contaminated with germs that cause disease, such as bacteria, viruses, larvae, or eggs of some parasites. An example would be bacteria such as Salmonella found in eggs, meat, chicken, dairy products, raw vegetables, and cut or peeled fruit.

Intoxication: Occurs through the consumption of food contaminated with chemical products, toxins produced by some germs, or toxins already present in the food.

Most common symptoms of food-borne diseases (FBDs):

The food-borne diseases described below do not always manifest themselves in the way indicated in this Manual, as the symptomology of a disease may vary according to different variables, such as the amount of food consumed, the individual’s health condition, and the quantity of bacteria or toxin in the food, among others.

Independent from the disease and excluding the variables mentioned, the food-borne diseases tend to share the following symptoms:

• Stomach ache;
• Vomiting;
• Diarrhea; and
• Fever and headache.

Most common food-borne diseases:

• Salmonellosis and Typhoid Fever
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Enterocolitis
• Gastroenteritis
• Botulism
• Listeriosis
• Campylobacteriosis
• Cholera
• Hepatitis A

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