November 2021
Last month, the CDC released a report of an ongoing Salmonella outbreak investigation.
The outbreak originated from seafood distributed to various restaurants and grocery stores in Colorado.
The active investigation reports 102 cases of illness and 19 hospitalizations. Since discovering the root of the outbreak, a variety of seafood has been recalled to minimize further illness.
Salmonella is a gram-negative, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacterium that commonly infects the intestinal tract. The CDC estimates about 1.35 million Salmonella infections occur in the U.S. annually. Common symptoms of infection are fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Symptoms tend to start from 6 hours to 6 days from contact and may last up to a week.
To stay safe, the CDC recommends following these four steps to food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill.
- Clean: Maintain clean cooking and eating areas by washing your hands and disinfecting surfaces often. This kills any germs that may contaminate the food.
- Separate: Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood items away from other foods in the fridge and during the cooking process. Use separate cutting boards and utensils to prevent cross-contamination.
- Cook: Properly cook all food items at the correct temperature using a food thermometer to ensure all of the harmful microorganisms within the food are killed.
- Chill: Many bacteria grow rapidly at room temperature, so food perishables should be refrigerated promptly.
Taking proper food safety measures can help minimize the amount of microbial growth in the kitchen and maintain safe eating environments. To learn more about how disinfectant testing helps protect food safety, contact our laboratory at [email protected].
