The research: After analyzing data on 3,933 foodborne disease outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2002 and 2011, researchers at the CSPI found that nearly twice as many outbreaks occurred in restaurants compared to private homes. Those restaurant incidents caused 28,570 people to become ill, while at-home instances of food borne disease caused illness among 12,980 people. Equally troubling is the fact that the analyzed cases made up less than half of all reported outbreaks—a total of 10,409 outbreaks were reported to the CDC, but only 3,933 were solved (meaning the contaminated food and pathogen were identified). The researchers also note that outbreak reporting decreased 42% between 2002 and 2011, an indication that there could have been many more cases that went unreported. The meaning: Eating at a restaurant appears to increase the likelihood that you’ll contract a foodborne illness, but that doesn’t mean your kitchen is totally safe either. “A real hindrance to foodborne outbreak reporting is that in order to get the incident reported, the person often has to seek medical attention,” says Marcus Glassman, a research associate for food safety at the CSPI. “And in many cases, foodborne illness only causes mild stomach issues—not anything you need a doctor for. So we just don’t have the full picture with the data.” And the odds that someone will call the health department to report an illness they contracted from their own cooking are pretty slim. The bottom line: Stick with restaurants given top cleanliness marks by the health department, and if you do get sick from food purchased at a restaurant or your grocery story, don’t keep the incident to yourself. Call your local health department and report the problem and possible culprits to help officials track the contamination. More from Prevention: How To PreventFood Poisoning
