CDC Finds That Sick Workers Linked , to a Majority of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks.
NBC reports that new data suggests that sick employees
at restaurants and other food establishments are a major
contributor to the spread of foodborne illnesses. .
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), around 40% of foodborne
outbreaks were linked to sick or infectious workers.
In 2017, Chipotle attributed an outbreak
of norovirus to an employee who
came to work despite being sick.
In 2017, Chipotle attributed an outbreak
of norovirus to an employee who
came to work despite being sick.
Between 2017 and 2019, norovirus was
the most common pathogen involved
with outbreaks at restaurants in the U.S. .
Of 800 outbreaks, norovirus accounted
for 47% that were identified by the CDC.
Another 19% of the outbreaks were reportedly
linked to Salmonella, a bacteria that results
in diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.
NBC reports that the CDC has recommended
that restaurants adopt and enforce policies that
require workers to stay home if they are ill.
Ill workers continue to play
a substantial role in retail
food establishment outbreaks,
and comprehensive ill worker
policies will likely be necessary to
mitigate this public health problem, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, via NBC.
However, NBC reports that the CDC report
also found that less than half of food
establishments offered workers paid sick leave. .
If companies value their employees'
health and their customers' health, then they
would not be responding reactively to these
things. They would be taking proactive steps
to prevent these things from happening, Darin Detwiler, Northeastern University
food regulatory policy professor, via NBC