Florida Health: Did You Know? Foodborne Illness Factsheet Poster

➢	 Ill food handlers are a major cause of foodborne	 illness.		
➢	 Food handlers who experienced diarrhea or vomiting within	 the 	last 48 hours can 	
pass their 	illness on to customers and coworkers 	even though they feel fine	 now.		
➢	 People can spread many different 	types of illnesses to others before 	
they	 even know they are sick	 themselves.		
➢	 Proper hand washing, including proper hand drying, only r	emoves about 	
1/2 of the disease	-causing	 germs present on your hands. That is why no 	
bare hand contact with ready	-to	-eat fo	od is so	 important.		
➢	 Food service managers are 	required by law	 to monitor the health of	 their 	
employees.		
➢	 Food managers and handlers are 	required by law	 to report certain 	
illnesses to the Department of	 Health.		
➢	 Viruses can live on surfaces, such as refrigerat	or door handles and food 	
preparation tables, for up to 48	 hours.		
➢	 Viruses are responsible for more than 50% of all foodborne illness 
outbreaks (symptoms include acute diarrhea, nausea and vomiting) in 
the United	 States.		
➢	 Some bacteria produ	ce toxins (poisons	) that cannot	 be destroyed by 	
cooking	 or freezing.		
➢	 M	illion	s of Americans	 suffer from a foodborne illness each year. 		
➢	 You	 can prevent the spread of foodborne illness by following good 	
hygienic practices and not working with food or clean dishware when 
you a	re ill or have been in close contact with someone who is	 ill.		
 
 	
Courtesy of the 	Florida Department of Health	 Food Safety and Sanitation Program