The cook reported cutting up raw chicken for the dinner meals before preparing salads, lasagna, and sandwiches as luncheon menu items. Lettuce for salads was shredded with a knife, and the cook wore a towel around her waist that she frequently used to dry her hands. The lettuce or lasagna was probably contaminated with C. jejuni from raw chicken through unwashed or inadequately washed hands, cooking utensils, or the countertop. JCHD recommended that the restaurant enlarge its food-preparation table and install a disposable hand towel dispenser and that food handlers wash hands and cooking utensils between use while preparing different foods. Illness associated with Campylobacter infection is usually mild, but can be severe and even fatal.
Most illnesses associated with Campylobacter infection are sporadic.
Therefore, contamination of foods by raw chicken is an efficient mechanism for transmission of this organism. Restaurants provide opportunities for outbreaks of foodborne disease because large quantities of different foods are handled in the same kitchen. Failure to wash hands, utensils, or countertops can lead to contamination of foods that will not be cooked. The food handler involved in this outbreak had not received training in food safety. Laws mandating certification of food-service employees differ by state.