Food Banks and Food-Borne Illness

Providing safe food is an important as providing food itself. A hungry person is more likely to consume food they wouldn't normally choose. If this food is unsafe, it can cause food-borne illness. Food-borne illness, which affects between 24 and 81 million people per year, can lead to serious discomfort, life-threatening complications, and even death.

Increased risk
Food-borne illnesses can be deadly for people whose health is already at risk:

People with Long-term Poor Nutrition
Pregnant Women
Chronically Ill People
Young Children
Senior Adults

Controlling Bacterial Growth
The easiest way to prevent food-borne illness is to control bacterial growth by:

Providing a clean and sanitary environment for storing and processing food.
Inspecting donations for contamination and determining how long food may be stored.
Proper food handling and storage.
Good worker hygiene.
Proper food preparation (specifically in re-packaging foods)

Conditions
Bacteria, the most common cause of food-borne illness are everywhere. They grow and reproduce best in the following conditions:

Temperatuere
Ideally between 40 F and 140F

Water
Moisture

Food
Although bacteria can grow on any food, they especially like high protein foods such as milk, meat, and eggs.

Time
Given the right conditions, just 1 bacteria can produce 33 million bacterial cells in 12 hours.

Other Conditions
Such as oxygen and the right chemistry (ex. acidity or salt).

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Increased risk Food-borne illnesses can be deadly for people whose health is already at risk:

Controlling Bacterial Growth The easiest way to prevent food-borne illness is to control bacterial growth by:

Increased risk
Food-borne illnesses can be deadly for people whose health is already at risk:

Controlling Bacterial Growth
The easiest way to prevent food-borne illness is to control bacterial growth by: