Detecting Contaminated Food

At least 600 people across the country have gotten sick from eating contaminated peanut butter. Public health officials try to stay on top of food-related outbreaks, but tracking down the source of the problem can be tough.
Every year, about 76 million Americans get sick from eating contaminated food but only about five percent of food-borne illnesses get reported.
"Not everyone who gets it feels sick enough to visit a doctor. They may have one episode of diarrhea and that's all the symptoms that ever occur in that person," said Public Health Director Dr. David Damsker.
Even when a case is reported, tracking down the cause can be tough.
"Whenever people develop symptoms, a lot of times the first thing they think of is, oh, it's the restaurant that I just ate at that got me sick. When in reality, the incubation period for a lot of these diseases is one to three days, or even longer. So it may very well, actually most likely, is not the restaurant you just ate at that got you sick," said Dr. Damsker.
Doctors say it can be difficult to tell the difference between food poisoning and a viral illness.
However, viruses tend to spread much more quickly and can infect a large number of people within days.