Ask a Health Inspector

Dear Jason,

I just have a question…Is it possible for a large group of people to get sick from one meal? I was recently at a holiday party with some "friends", and a few days later, several of them got sick! We are not sure of the cause, but we suspect one individual as the source….

                                                                             -G. Rinch

Hello! Well that’s a great question that frequently comes up around the holiday season. The chances of a large group of people getting sick from one meal is pretty high, especially around the holiday season, due to people not paying attention to proper cooking times, food storage issues, and generally being distracted by the events around them. In fact, this reminds me of a poem I once heard…I'll try to recreate it here the best I can. Any similarity to other stories or poems is purely coincidental…

To be read in the voice and style of a large, hairy, green being that initially dislikes his neighbors and their penchant for the holiday season, but through a series of misadventures, and a journey of self-discovery, comes to the realization that his lifelong loathing may have been slightly misplaced…

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
Was the thing I was thinking as I took my last bite.
I had no idea I was in for such trouble,
When I heard Mindy Sue Hue's small tummy grumble.

"It's a Christmas feast!" I thought to myself,
"Fit for a King!" (or at least a large elf)
The biggest spread! Hours it lasted!
Complete with orange flavored effervescent antacid.

When I took the Hue's pudding, and I took their roast beast,
I couldn’t have imagined it would be such a feast!
I didn’t hot hold it, or keep anything cold.
"Why would I?" I thought, "It's just hours old!"

I rolled it all up on the living room rug,
And then stuffed it all up with the rodents and bugs.
No reason to think I did anything wrong,
when I put all their food on a sleigh with a dog.

Contaminated food?!? Undercooked meat?!?
Unless you can prove it, then just take a seat.
Food storage issues? There may have been some…
But The Hue's didn’t mind, in fact they said "Yum!"

You know the story, I brought it all back,
and I carved it and served it right out of the sack.
Each Hue got a serving (including the dog)
Topped off with a cup of Great Gram's raw egg nog

Two days later, a few Hues got sick,
complaining that they couldn’t sing worth a lick.
They took some Pepto! They drank soda water!
They used cool rags, but their fevers got hotter!

It came without warning! Not even hashtags!
But it DID come with retching, and bloating, and gags!
Foodborne illness? Never heard of it, what's that?
Sounds like we might need a bacteriostat.

Yes, all The Hues down in Hue-ville were walking among us,
With cases of E. Coli and salmonellosis.
Diarrhea! And fever! And abdominal cramping!
No sleep in the night, just occasional catnapping!

About 10 percent of the Hues were sent home,
diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Red blood cells were damaged! Failure of the kidney!
Which is especially dangerous to young Hues and the elderly…

About a week later, the Hues felt much better,
Following textbook symptoms right down to the letter
The moral of this story is just this my friends: keep your food safe from beginning to end.

Maintain hot temperatures if you plan to hot hold it,
One thirty five is the number it must hit.
For cold holding forty five is the one to be seen,
(41 or below after 2019)

Fully cook all your food, (roast beast included)
So you don’t get sick, like Mindy Sue Hue did
Final cook temps are the things you must know
To reduce the microbial/bacterial load

Don’t put your roast beast under raw chicken juice
Or any fowl for that matter, duck, turkey or goose.
Storing food properly is the thing you must do
To avoid contamination, and adulteration too!

Fully wash your hands, small, large, or green.
Use soap and warm water, and scrub until clean.
In order to be safe this holiday season,
simply follow these rules, you all know the reason.

Don’t get distracted by the holiday cheer,
Pay attention to your food, so you can eat without fear.
We hope, and we pray, and our fingers are crossed,
That that great jolly elf on the sleigh won't get lost.

We check the snow levels, and we eye the barometer,
While hoping for a food code and a new food thermometer.
And one last thing before biding adieu,
Remember the story of G. Rinch and the Hues…

Be kind to your family and neighbors alike,
Children are watching, even the tiniest tyke.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!