Food Safety Services
Foodborne Illness
A foodborne illness is caused by eating or drinking a contaminated food or beverage. Common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Those at highest risk of a serious or life threatening illness are young children, older adults, and people in poor health or taking immune suppressing drugs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people suffer from a foodborne illness each year and, of those, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 people die. Foodborne illness also has an economic impact. The Economic Research Service and United States Department of Agriculture estimate the cost of foodborne illness to be $6.9 billion a year. This cost is related to medical expenses, lost productivity, and death.
Reporting a Foodborne Illness
If you think you or a family member has a foodborne illness, call your health care provider and report the symptoms to the Kent County Health Department by calling (616) 632-7228 (Monday-Friday 8am-5pm). You may also use the link below to file an online foodborne illness complaint.
Report Foodborne Illness Online
Preventing Foodborne Illness
Test your home food safety knowledge by taking this survey!
You can protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness by practicing safe food handling methods at home. Click on the links below to read about how to safely handle foods in your kitchen or watch the YouTube video.