The city’s health department announced today the launch of a new online reporting system meant to make it easier for the public to report food poisoning they may have experienced after eating food or drinking a beverage from a Long Beach establishment.
“Platforms such as Yelp and IwasPoisoned.com already exist as avenues to report complaints or leave reviews,” explained Environmental Health Bureau Manager Nelson Kerr in a statement. “However the Health Department Foodborne Illness Incident Report will collect more detailed information, allowing our health inspectors to promptly investigate, take action, and make corrections if needed to prevent further illnesses.”
About 48 million people get sick from food poisoning each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Currently, there are two multistate outbreaks: the romaine lettuce E. coli O157 and egg shell Salmonella outbreaks, city health officials noted.
Five people have died from the romaine lettuce—including one person in California—and another 197 people from 35 states were sickened as of Friday, according to the New York Times.
A total of 35 people fell ill from the salmonella outbreak that led to the recall of over 200 million eggs earlier this month, according to Health.com.
The health department’s Consumer Protection Program currently works with food establishments in Long Beach to ensure the food is safe, wholesome, properly labeled and produced under sanitary conditions, officials said. The health department also tracks foodborne illness by asking hospitals to report increases of gastrointestinal illness in the emergency departments. However, self-reporting by the public remains the most effective to identify possible outbreaks in the city.
“This new electronic reporting system will expedite the way residents can report foodborne illness in Long Beach, thus allowing our inspectors to visit food facilities more quickly and get ahead of any potential outbreaks in our city,” said City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis in a statement.
Bacteria, viruses or parasites can cause food poisoning. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. Pregnant women, young children and older adults are more likely to develop severe illness from food poisoning. Health officials said food poisoning can occur from anything consumed typically within three days, and not always from the last thing consumed.
The report form can be found on the Health Department website here. Reports can also be made by calling the Health Department at (562) 570-4302. The public can also find out which restaurants have been closed by city health inspectors over the last 12 months here.