Epidemiological characteristics analysis of foodborne disease outbreaks caused by takeaway in China’s Mainland from 2010 to 2020

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of foodborne disease outbreaks caused by takeaway in China’s Mainland from 2010 to 2020， and put forward relevant regulatory suggestions.MethodsThrough the National Foodborne Disease Outbreak Monitoring System， the data of foodborne disease outbreaks caused by takeaway in China’s Mainland from 2010 to 2020 were collected and analyzed， and descriptive epidemiological characteristics were performed.ResultsA total of 549 foodborne disease outbreaks caused by takeaway were reported in China’s Mainland （except Tibet Autonomous Region） from 2010 to 2020， resulting in 9 285 illnesses and 2 deaths. The largest number of outbreaks and illnesses was in the third quarter， accounting for 41.53% and 44.58% of the total respectively. Except the unknown pathogenic factors， the number of outbreaks and illnesses caused by microbial pathogenic factors were the highest， accounting for 39.16% and 60.26% of the total respectively. Except the unknown suspected food， the number of outbreaks and illnesses caused by mixed food and multiple food were higher， accounting for 21.86% and 15.12% of the outbreaks respectively， and accounting for 20.58% and 13.10% of the number of illnesses respectively. Except the unknown food source， the top 3 food source were school canteens， collective dining delivery units/central kitchens and fast food restaurants， the number of outbreaks accounted for 20.04%， 15.66% and 15.48% respectively， and the number of illnesses accounted for 35.30%， 17.52% and 10.57% respectively. Except the multiple factors and unknown factors， the number of outbreaks caused by improper storage were the highest accounting for 8.74%， and the number of illnesses caused by improper processing accounted for 7.74%.ConclusionMicrobial growth and reproduction due to improper storage and processing is the major cause of foodborne disease outbreaks caused by takeaway. It is suggested that the food safety supervision and administration departments should strengthen the whole process supervision and management of takeaway， establish and ensure catering services strictly abide by the good hygiene operations according to food raw in materials， production， transportation， distribution and other aspects， so as to effectively prevent and control the occurrence foodborne diseases.

Keywords

• foodborne disease outbreaks
• takeaway
• epidemiological analysis