Foodborne illness outbreaks at restaurants are often linked to sick workers, CDC finds

NBC News
May 30, 2023

Foodborne illness outbreaks at restaurants are often linked to sick workers, CDC finds


Sick employees are major contributors to the spread of foodborne illnesses at restaurants and other food establishments, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Tuesday. From 2017 to 2019, the report found, around 40% of foodborne illness outbreaks with known causes were at least partly associated with food contamination by a sick or infectious worker. In 2017, for instance, Chipotle attributed a norovirus outbreak at its restaurant in Sterling, Virginia, to an employee who came to work while ill.