Ag-West Biotech Inc. When Good Food Makes Us Sick Most of us have experienced a touch of food poisoning at one time or another, usually from food that was improperly prepared or stored.
Most cases are minor, but they can be very serious - even deadly.
It is estimated there are tens of millions of cases of food-borne illnesses caused by microorganisms in North America every year. In one well-publicized incident in the United States in 1993, hamburger disease resulted in 475 poisonings and the deaths of three children. This type of incident shows us the importance of effective methods to detect food contamination when it occurs - and before people are put at risk. But testing for contamination is a massive and complicated task. There are huge amounts of food being distributed throughout the world.