Trend Foodborne disease a persistent health and economic burden

Summary

The report defines foodborne disease as illness caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or their toxins, and regards it as a large and continuing economic and health burden on society. Contamination can happen at any point in the food chain, from the farm through processing, preparation, distribution and storage to cross-contamination in the kitchen. Despite ongoing prevention, foodborne illness remains a public health concern in the UK, and the number of cases linked to causative contaminants stayed high throughout 2015 to 2019. Conditions such as higher temperatures, which climate change may intensify, can speed the growth of foodborne microbes. The report adds that some of these microbes are resistant to antimicrobials, making the resulting illness harder to treat.