Investigations of foodborne diseases by food inspection services in the Netherlands, 1991 to 1994

Foodborne illnesses investigated in the period 1991 to 1994 by the regional Food Inspection Services in The Netherlands are summarized and evaluated. In this period 2,621 incidents were reported, involving 7,567 ill people. Types of food most commonly implicated were Chinese-Indonesian food and meat products. More than half of the incidents were reported to originate in a restaurant or snack bar. Although laboratory investigations were carried our when possible, a likely causative agent was identified in only 8.3% of the incidents. Of the incidents with a known etiological agent, 19% were attributed to Bacillus cereus, 16% to Salmonella spp., 11% to Clostridium perfringens, 10% to chemical toxins, 6% to Escherichia coli, and 5% to Staphylococcus aureus. The present system covers only a tiny proportion of all foodborne illness and does not utilize epidemiological evidence to identify the source of outbreaks. It is recommended to supplement the microbiological data collected at present with epidemiological evidence, in particular in outbreaks involving 10 people or more.