By Bill Zaagman

Nothing is more devastating to a business than to be the source of a foodborne illness outbreak. Although there are several reasons foodborne illness outbreaks can occur, the most common source is through ill employees. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are as many as 76 million cases of foodborne illness causing 323,000 hospitalizations and 5,200 deaths per year. It is unknown how many of those cases can be attributed to restaurants and other food service establishments.

There are several ways foodborne illness can be spread in a restaurant. First, cross-contamination can occur when ready-to-eat foods are contaminated with bacteria from raw meat or poultry. For example, cross-contamination can occur when an employee dices raw chicken and then cuts lettuce on the same surface without sanitizing the surface or the utensils. A second way is when poultry is not cooked to the appropriate internal temperature of 180°F, or until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

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