How safe is your food: ADHS 2015 Food Safety report released

Nothing says “wash-your-hands” like foodborne illness.

Food Safety and Environmental Services within the Arizona Department of Health Services has released the 2015 Food Safety Annual Report has been released.

“We saw an increase of about 40 percent in the number of people calling in to file foodborne illness complaints,” said Jessica Rigler, bureau chief for the Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control at the Arizona Department of Health Services. “Those are complaints of members of the public calling in to their county health department to let them know about a foodborne illness concern that they have in their community.”

In all, 1,095 foodborne illnesses complaints were received by county health departments.

“It’s hard to say what’s causing that increase,” Rigler said. “It could be that more are aware that they can call their local health department to report a concern or a problem. Or it might be more awareness about foodborne disease in general.”

The report covers the period from July 1, 2014 to June 31, 2015 and includes county investigations of 21 foodborne outbreaks.

There are many things that people can do to protect themselves from getting sick, Rigler said.

“The very most important thing is to wash your hands,” she said. “Wash your hands before you prepare a meal, wash before you eat. That ensures you’re not eating any of those nasty bacteria to make you sick.”

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