What defines a food-borne illness outbreak?

• A. When a single person reports feeling ill after eating
• B. When two or more people get the same illness from the same food items
• C. When two or more people are sick from different foods
• D. When a food item is recalled due to contamination

Answer: (B)

Outbreaks in food safety are identified when two or more people become ill from the same illness after eating the same food item. That shared source and common exposure are what link the cases together and signal a problem that needs investigation. A single ill person doesn’t establish an outbreak, since it could be a coincidental or unrelated illness. If two or more people are sick but from different foods, there isn’t a single shared source to define an outbreak. A recall happens when a product is identified as unsafe, but it isn’t the definition of an outbreak itself; it’s a safety action that may result from one.