Foodborne Disease in Six Countries — A Comparison

Foodborne disease data from six countries were compared. The number of outbreaks ranged from 48 for Australia to 6,109 for Japan, both over 5-year periods. Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens were the agents primarily responsible for illness in most of the countries. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, however, was the most significant agent in Japan. Meat and poultry were the foods most implicated in illness, but fish was also important in Japan and the United States. Foodservice establishments seem to have been the main places where food was mishandled, causing subsequent illness. less, however, is known of the contributory factors that led to such illness, although for the United States, the main one appears to have been improper holding temperatures. To permit a better and more complete comparison in the future, surveillance systems of different countries need to be developed on common criteria.