The goal of the Partnership is: "To contribute to the reduction of foodborne illness in Canada by increasing awareness of safe food handling practices through the development and coordination of safe food handling education programs focused on the important role that the consumer has in keeping food safe."

Foodborne illness can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons with foodborne illness can experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Following are some steps that consumers can take to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from fresh produce: home, chill and refrigerate foods. After purchase, put produce that needs refrigeration away promptly.

Foodborne illnesses are those acquired by consumption of contaminated food or drink, and include those caused by chemical contaminants such as heavy metals and organic compounds. These illnesses are frequently and inaccurately referred to as food poisoning. To meet the definition of a foodborne illness, two or more persons must have consumed the same food and have similar symptoms of illness or one person must be physician/laboratory diagnosed with a specific illness.

Foodborne illness caused by chemical contaminants or that caused by allergic reactions to elevated histamine levels in fish can occur within minutes, while other foodborne diseases may occur anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks after consumption of the contaminated food/drink. Most persons will assume that the last meal eaten is the cause of their illness; this is very often inaccurate.

Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever, headache, jaundice, tingling or numbness, muscle aches and pains, and many others. Not all foodborne illnesses have the same symptoms and the severity of symptoms varies from one person to the next.

This is an individual choice based on how the individual is feeling; however, no foodborne illness can be proven unless the causative agent can be isolated from both the person and the food that they consumed. Therefore, it is very important that a doctor is seen so that specimens of blood, vomitus, or stool can be taken and that you contact the Health Department as soon as an illness is suspected so that food, drink, or food contact surfaces can be sampled in a timely manner.

The top six causes of foodborne illness in commercial foodservice facilities can be found on our web site. Check them out and make sure you avoid them!

Individuals and their actions at home play an important role in food safety. To help prevent foodborne illness, food safety experts recommend the following four simple steps: SEPARATE: Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods. COOK: Cook to proper temperatures; don't rely on color alone. Remember to use a food thermometer to check if food is done. Thorough cooking is the most important step in preventing foodborne illness.

Talk with your doctor if you are severely ill, have a high fever, blood in your stool, or if your illness lasts longer than one or two days. If you have reason to believe that your illness was acquired from food at a restaurant or other commercial food source, call the health department in the county where the restaurant is located. The staff will collect information from you to try to determine what type of illness you may have, where you may have acquired it, and from what type of food.

You can reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease and having a heart attack by avoiding smoking, taking regular physical activity (at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 5 times a week), eating a balanced diet which is rich in fruit and vegetables and low in salt and saturated fat.

Clean: Wash your hands before eating or preparing food, after handling raw meat, and after using the bathroom. Wash utensils, cutting boards, and countertops before and after preparing food. Cook: Cook meats to their proper temperature. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the right temperature has been reached.

Most insurers who sell long-term care insurance use medical underwriting to determine if they will sell you a long-term care insurance policy. Medical underwriting is a process through which insurance companies review a number of factors including your health history. Insurance companies use the information gathered during the underwriting process to determine if they will provide long-term care coverage.

Kidney Health - What you should know.... You can lose most of their kidney function before feeling sick - and by then it's too late. There is no cure. Dialysis or a transplant are the only options once your kidneys fail. If you ticked one or more of these risk factors - you are at increased risk and should ask your doctor for a kidney health check.

There is strong scientific evidence that having regular screening tests for colorectal cancer beginning at age 50 reduces deaths from colorectal cancer. Screening tests can find precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon and rectum, and polyps can be removed before they turn into cancer. Studies have also shown that increased physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight can decrease the risk for colorectal cancer.

Reduce the risk of limb deficiencies in your unborn child by taking medications only when absolutely necessary and under your doctor's supervision.

There are many things that you can do to reduce your heart attack risk. Eating right and exercise can lower cholesterol and strengthen your heart muscle. Many studies have shown the benefits of taking an aspirin such as Ecotrin? every day for your heart if you already suffered a heart attack in the past. Ecotrin? aspirin keeps the blood flowing through your blood vessels. Be sure to join Here's to LifeTM, our FREE Heart Health Program.

Based on the limited number of cases studied so far, it is not yet possible to determine what percentage of WNV infections during pregnancy result in infection of the fetus or medical problems in newborns.

How to Understand and Interpret Food & Health-Related Scientific Studies: An International Food Information Council (IFIC) Review Frustrated and confused by the tremendous amount of food and health information being communicated today, Americans look for simple certainties to help them protect their health through diet. The trouble is that single studies rarely provide such certainty, although they often make for great headlines.

On the World Wide Web, USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Educational Materials Database at http://www.nal.usda.gov/foodborne/wais.shtml, visit the "Bad Bug Book" at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/intro.html and the National Food Safety Initiative at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fs-toc.html. Also see www.foodsafety.gov. Call FDA's Food Information line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366). Recorded information 24 hours a day, every day.

The first rule of food storage in the home is to refrigerate or freeze perishables right away. The refrigerator temperature should be 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), and the freezer should be zero F (minus 18 C). Check both "fridge" and freezer periodically with a refrigerator/freezer thermometer. Poultry and meat heading for the refrigerator may be stored as purchased in the plastic wrap for a day or two.

There is no risk to the consumer at any time. U.S. Gas and Electric delivers the natural gas directly to each utility. Accordingly, the transition is invisible to the customer, except, of course, the customer will see a lower gas bill. The utility continues to maintain the infrastructure of gas lines, read the meters, and respond to emergencies so the customer receives the same high-quality energy, with the same reliability, at a lower price.

People who have close contact with a human or non-human primate infected with the virus are at risk. Such persons include laboratory or quarantine facility workers who handle non-human primates that have been associated with the disease. In addition, hospital staff and family members who care for patients with the disease are at risk if they do not use proper barrier nursing techniques.

You can reduce your risk through weight-bearing exercise, not smoking, and eating foods rich in calcium such as: milk, broccoli, yogurt, salmon, and dark green vegetables.