Fast Food Nation: chapter 9

1. Compared with several decades ago, how common are food-related illnesses today?

- Food related illnesses are very common today compared with several decades ago. "Everyday in the United States, roughly 200,000 people are sickened by a foodborne disease, 900 are hospitalized, and fourteen die." (pg. 272) "But the nation's industrialized and centralized system of food processing has created a whole new sort of outbreak, one that can potentially sicken millions of people." (pg. 273)

2. What are most of the microbes in meat spread by?

- Most of the microbes in meat are spread by fecal material.

3. What are the effects of E. coli 0157:H7 on the human body?

- "Some people who are infected with E. coli 0157:H7 do not become ill. Others suffer mild diarrhea. In most cases, severe abdominal cramps are followed by watery, then bloody, diarrhea that subsides within a week or so. Sometimes the diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting and a low-grade fever." (pg. 279)