Protecting Our Food Supply

For this activity, read the following case study and answer the following questions. Only the instructor will see your answer. Background: Nalissa attended a gathering of her coworkers on a warm Saturday in July. Each person brought a dish of food to share. She prepared beef empanadas and cooked them thoroughly. She removed the dish from the oven at 1 PM and kept it warm by wrapping it in a towel. She traveled to the party and set the dish out on the buffet table at 3 PM. Dinner was served at 4 PM but no one really started eating until 6 PM. Most people sampled the empanadas. In addition to the empanadas, she also had some salad, garlic bread, and a sweet dessert with coconut. About 2 AM, Nalissa knew something was wrong. She had severe abdominal pain and had to make a dash to the bathroom. She spent most of the next 3 hours in the bathroom with severe diarrhea. By dawn, the diarrhea subsided and she started to feel better. After a few cups of tea and a light breakfast, she was feeling like herself by noon. On Monday at work, she discovered that several of her coworkers also had diarrhea on Saturday night. 1. Based on her symptoms, which bacterial foodborne illness did Nalissa most likely contract? What details about her symptoms helped you determine this? 2. Why is the beef the most likely vehicle for this type of foodborne illness? 3. Why is consuming food at large gatherings risky? 4. How could this scenario be rewritten to substantially reduce the risk of foodborne illness? [READ]: Pages 519-523 for specific information on some common foodborne illnesses [Upload files].