Foodborne Illness Complaints
Foodborne illness occurs when a person eats foods that contain harmful organisms such as bacteria or viruses. A foodborne illness complaint is submitted by a member of the public reporting a suspected food poisoning. If multiple complaints are received, it triggers follow-up inspections by the Health Department.
Summary of foodborne illness complaints and actions for 2022
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675 foodborne illness complaints received.
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34 inspections as a result of investigations and/or complaints.
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0 facility closures as a result of investigations and/or complaints.
Complaints are received from:
Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD) Environmental Health Food Protection Office
SLCoHD Epidemiology Bureau reporting line
UDHHS online foodborne illness reports
Utah Poison Control Center
United States Department of Agriculture
Iwaspoisoned.com (consumer led website for diners to report suspected food poisoning)
Notable Enteric Outbreaks and Investigations
Enteric disease activity was lower in 2022 than expected, given historical averages. This is likely a result of modified behaviors, such as fewer large social gatherings, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notable Outbreaks:
There was a total of 9 Norovirus outbreaks (confirmed and suspect) in 2022, with the average case count totaling 21 cases per outbreak. 78% of Norovirus outbreaks occurred in a long-term care or health care facility.
Salt Lake County had cases that were included in 5 different nationwide Shigellosis outbreaks.
Salt Lake County had cases that were included in 4 different nationwide Salmonellosis outbreaks.
A multi-serotype Salmonellosis outbreak linked to a local market/grocery store was identified via routine surveillance and routine meat sampling. There were 9 confirmed cases and 1 probable case. 2 cases in the outbreak were people living in different jurisdictions in the state. All cases reported eating food from the market, but epidemiologic evidence did not support a common food item. A joint environmental assessment by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) and Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD) revealed serious issues with cross-contamination and unlicensed fermentation. Cross-contamination of foods and ready to use plastics were the most likely causes of the outbreak.