Safe Tables 
Our Priority

S.T.O.P. 
P.O. Box 4352 
Burlington, VT 05406 
 

Media & Business 
  (802) 863-0555 

Victims &  
Victims' Families 
  (800) 350-STOP 
 
 

    Send e-mail to: 
feedback@stop-usa.org 
 
 

Information about Foodborne Illness and Food Safety

This section is intended to provide basic information on the what, when and how of emerging foodborne illnesses. It is divided into the following sections:

• Consumer Education Materials. This section contains copies of our "Keep It Clean; Keep it Healthy" brochure and educational presentations given by S.T.O.P. members in PowerPoint, Acrobat and ASCII outlines. The PowerPoint version contains the written notes. Consumers are welcome to download the presentations for the purpose of redistributing or giving the presentation themselves as long as appropriate attribution is made.
   
• Foodborne Illness in the United States. This section contains a basic description of virulent food and waterborne illnesses including:
  • Botulism
  • Campylobacter
  • Cryptosporidium
  • Cyclospora
  • E. coli O157:H7 and Other Pathogenic E. coli
  • Giardia
  • Hepatitis A
  • Listeria
  • Salmonella
  • Shigella
  • Vibrio
  • Yersinia

It is not intended to be a comprehensive description of all foodborne infectious diseases nor a tool for diagnosis, which would be better covered by medical literature. However, if you are interested in these diseases as a lay person, you may find in this section a brief description of symptoms as well as reprints of warnings published by the CDC.

• How Do Our Foods Become Contaminated Before Purchase? This section covers our current understanding and theories being studied about contamination mechanisms.
   
• How Can Consumers Reduce Risks? covers basic cooking and shopping practices that may reduce your family's likelihood of contracting a foodborne illness. However, it should be noted that S.T.O.P. feels strongly that the burden of improving food safety belongs squarely on the shoulders of industry and government. Therefore, some of the most important tasks a consumer can undertake are to be aware of food safety issues, to be a member of a food safety organization, and to demand government and industry improve the safety of food.
   
• How Can Parents Protect Their Children from Foodborne Illness? handles the topic of food safety specific to children.
   
• Food Safety Articles contains URLs of relevant food safety stories published on the web.
   
• Food Safety Questions to Ask Your Grocer or Farmer should give consumers the types of questions that will both help them assess the relative safety of different foods they buy and help demonstrate demand for safer food.
   
• Frequently Asked Questions on Foodborne Illness. This contains a list of questions and answers related to foodborne illness. For questions specific to victims, go to Frequently Asked Questions from the S.T.O.P. Hotline
   
• Recommended Reading. If you are new to the topic of food safety, we would recommend books listed in this section.
   
• Related Sites/Resources. Do you want more information on food safety? Look here for related sites and information. These sites are not endorsed or supported by S.T.O.P. but provide additional background on the topic of food safety issues.

Last modified 12/30/99; app ljg
 

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